The Blast in the Bones
by doctorsuez
Summary: What if Booth and Brennan decided to give a relationship a chance?  How would it look?  How would they handle the struggles the encounter along the way?  Things aren't always a fairytale. Early B/B hook up. Set BEFORE the 100th episode.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – I've struggled with whether or not to publish this since I already have 3 in progress fics but I'm afraid a window I have within the story line of the show is going to be gone after the 100****th**** episode and I don't want to miss the chance to 'go there' with a story like this. I am working on getting chaps of all of my fics up. I only have one chap remaining on my Max/Hank fic and Pressure isn't going to be a beast like Footing either so I figure what the heck – publish this.**

**Anyway, this chap is meant to be a little disconnected and seem a little purposeless, but I can assure you it has a purpose. It's just going to build a bit slowly from the beginning. It will end up completely AU and I hope you are up to reading this kind of story. I hope you enjoy it and will leave reviews or messages to let me know what you think. **

**Thanks to StefJunkieCat, DVApples, and Thnx4theGum for helping me out and to MickeyBoggs for proofing.**

Disclaimer – I am not connected with the TV show "Bones" in any way. I just love watching it.

The Blast in the Bones

Chapter 1

"Bones?" Booth asked as he exited the interstate and headed toward a suspect's house on the outskirts of town just after lunch on an unusually hot April morning. "Are you sure you should come with me?" he glanced over at his partner as he spoke. "You still look a little bit pale," he finished. He knew as well as anyone how stubborn his partner was and could already predict what her answer would be but it didn't stop him from being concerned. She'd had a nasty cold over the weekend and from the looks of the crumpled tissue in her hand, she still possessed the runny nose that came with it.

It had been Booth's weekend with Parker so he hadn't been able to do what he would have normally done when his beautiful partner was home sick. He did take the time to run some Thai over on Saturday evening and had found her sleeping on her couch with her laptop teetering on her lap close to giving in to the force of gravity. He put the food on her counter and left her a simple '_Feel better, Bones,' _note and a single daffodil before exiting without so much as making her stir. He knew she had found everything because about an hour later he received a simple text from his partner. '_Thanks! Have fun with Parker. I'm hitting the straw.' _The misuse of the slang phrase made him smile and he and Parker headed to baseball practice.

Since that text message he hadn't talked to her until he met her at the lab that morning. He and Parker had a full Sunday and he figured she was taking it easy. They had a brief meeting about the case and then the dynamic duo found themselves in the Sequoia headed to meet with a suspect.

"I'm fine, Booth," was Temperance Brennan's typical answer. No matter what he thought, she was fine. She was always fine. Sure, if she were a typical person she might believe in taking things easy for a few days or allowing herself time to recover before returning to her usual routine but she wasn't a typical person. She was Temperance Brennan, world-renowned anthropologist and best-selling author. A slight chest upper respiratory infection would not drag her down. She had taken things easy over the weekend and managed to keep the slight fever, nagging cough and stuffy nose under control with the help of over the counter medications. She still felt a little fatigued and had a lingering headache coupled with a runny nose but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She could still effectively do her job.

He knew that there was no point in arguing with her. He just had to trust her even if he didn't like it. She had come a long way in the five years they had been working together and he knew she'd ask him for help if she needed or wanted it. She might not ask anyone else, but he knew she'd ask him. "If you say so, Bones," he tossed another glance in her direction and gave her a smile. "If you need another tissue, there are some in the pocket on the back of my seat. I keep them there for Parker."

She nodded and almost instinctively reached behind him to grab the small travel pack of tissues. She was almost successful when her always charming partner interrupted her with a fake cough. "*cough*, Rudolph *cough*," he mocked without so much as cutting his eyes from the road. He couldn't resist picking on her even if he was worried for her well being.

Brennan rolled her eyes and considered whacking him on the back of the head but decided against it when she sniffled like a middle school student. She instead finished getting the tissues and mumbled her retort. "I'll bet even Parker understands that redness of the nose is due to increased blood supply or skin irritation and if a reindeer had such a condition he would need immediate medical care since he would be, obviously, very ill," she didn't even have to look at him to know that he was shaking his head at her retort while attempting to stifle a smile.

The rest of the trip to the suspect's house was made in quiet. Brennan took the opportunity to rest her eyes a little bit and Booth simply drove. He thought for a moment she might be sleeping but when she sensed the road change from pavement to gravel she spoke. "You really think this guy murdered his mother?" she asked.

He shifted the SUV into park and answered her. "I do, Bones. He seemed a little jumpy when I talked to him the first time and according to his sister, his mother was going to change the will and remove him from it," he went on. "Apparently she wasn't too pleased with his bar-hopping lifestyle. She'd already bailed him out of jail three times for instigating fights." The pair climbed out of the car while Booth was still talking.

As they approached the rickety front porch Booth grabbed his partner's upper arm. "Bones," he said in his serious tone. "Just be careful. I don't like this guy at all," he pleaded.

She nodded and swiped her tissue over her nose one more time. It was an unusually humid April day and some beads of sweat broke out onto her forehead. She rubbed the back of her hand over her brow and concluded that she most likely still had a slight temperature. '_Nothing major,' _she thought to herself but decided that going home by 6:00 pm was definitely in order for the day. She had slept a lot over the weekend but obviously her body still required extra rest to fight this infection.

She refocused her attention on her partner who was pounding incessantly on the front door of the suspect's home. "Damn it," he said. "Just like murdering idiots to not come to the door when the FBI knocks." He glanced over his partner who seemed to be well enough to help him out. "His car's here so I'm betting he's going to try and leave through the back. You up to splitting up?" he asked.

She gave him a nod which was all he needed. They walked side by side down the steps and went in separate directions at the bottom. Booth cut right and Brennan cut to the left. "Careful, Bones," he said as he rounded the corner of the grey house and out of her field of view.

She simply nodded at him at the bottom of the steps and headed around the corner herself.

She knew her senses and awareness were dulled due to her headache and fatigue so she followed his words carefully. He'd always told her to stick close to the walls so you only had to watch from one direction. What she didn't anticipate was the suspect standing inside the small area that would lead to a basement or storage area.

It all happened so fast that she barely thought about her reaction. As she was about to step past the darkened area she felt a strong hand grasp her upper right arm. Her instinct was to use her martial arts skills to flip the assailant over. She tried, she really did but the strength she knew she possessed wasn't there. Weakness seemed to flood over her and the next thing she knew she was flipped onto her back on top of a smooth, decorative rock.

Before the pain even registered, she eyed the attacker and used her left leg to kick him in the testicles. This move was effective in sending him to the ground but not in relieving the searing pain that shot through her lower back.

She used the energy she could muster to roll off of the rounded rock beneath her and position herself in a prone position on the ground.

Booth had obviously heard the commotion and came racing in her direction. She stopped him before he could drop to his knees beside her. She managed to mumble "I'm fine, Booth. Cuff him'" before he could reach her.

Just a few minutes later she felt a gentle hand on her head. "Bones," he said compassionately. "l've got to radio in for backup. Do you need the EMTs?" he asked. He could see that she was conscious and moving. She wasn't bleeding either so he figured he should let her tell him what she needed.

"No'" she began, thankful that her residual lung volume seemed to be approaching normal levels. "I'm fine," she uttered her favorite phrase once again. "Just help me up," she requested.

"What happened?" Booth asked as he helped his partner to her feet and guided her to the back of the SUV.

She explained the scenario to him and then allowed him to open the back of the SUV so she could sit. She winced slightly as she had to bend her back to sit. She noticed his concerned look and preempted his interrogation. "I will probably have a few contusions on my lower back and quite possibly on my arm but I'm fine," she was very matter of fact. "Nothing is broken and I do not need to see a doctor," she finished. She knew she didn't need a doctor, but an ice pack and a bottle of shiny Advil would be nice.

He nodded but needed more information. "Can I see?" he asked with a slight puppy dog look on his face.

She nodded without moving her position. She had leaned against the side of the SUV and had closed her eyes as she had explained her condition. Movement was not appealing at the moment.

He didn't need more than her nod. He situated himself beside her and pulled the white of her knit top up in the back to inspect the damage. "JESUS CHRIST, BONES!" he practically yelled. "That is not a minor convulsion," he started his rant but she interrupted.

"Contusion, Booth, and while I have not been able to inspect the injury myself, the force used to throw me onto that rock was great enough to produce a bruise larger than the surface of the offending object. I would expect the bruising to span the entire width of my back," she continued to speak without moving once again.

Booth sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Whatever, Bones!" concern was clear in his voice. "We're getting that checked out if I have to tie you to a gurney."

Brennan decided that she needed to make eye contact in order to calm him down. "Booth, once again, I'm fine but if it will make you feel better, I'll let Cam take a look at it when we get back to the lab. She is a specialist in soft tissue and I'm sure can confirm my initial claim that it's just a contusion," she just hoped that would calm his nerves.

The sirens sounding in the distance forced Booth to concede more quickly than he wanted. "Alright, Bones," he said. "Let me get this guy hauled off and we'll get you to the lab and get you some ice."

She took a deep breath and realized that she wasn't in quite as much pain as she had anticipated. "I'll help you," she said. She was a little surprised that she even felt up to moving after hearing Booth's reaction to the bruising on her back. Her skin was fair so she generally seemed to bruise easily but not abnormally. '_Oh well,'_ she thought to herself. _'It's possible that the release of endorphins is blocking my pain receptors and I may feel stiffer in the morning.'_ She accepted her own reasoning and then headed toward Booth who was currently yelling at the suspect.

A short 30 minutes later, the partners were walking back through the glass doors of the Jeffersonian. "Alright Bones," Booth said. "Go lay on your couch and I'll round up Cam to check your back out."

Now that her adrenaline rush had worn off and she still wasn't feeling the expected pain, she decided to put up a fight. "Booth, I'm fine. There is no need to disturb Cam."

"No way, Bones!" he argued back. "You have a bruise the size of Texas on your back. It's Cam or the hospital," he kept his tone strong. "Now go lay down and I'll get you some ice."

What he didn't tell her was that seeing her bruises hurt him. He had a crazy attraction to her lower back and it angered him to see the pristine skin and perfect arch bothered by a stupid bruise inflicted upon her by an idiot murderer.

Brennan just nodded. She knew she was fine, but she had learned over the past few years that you give things to your loved ones. She could give Booth this one. If he needed to hear from someone else that she was okay she could concede and allow it. After his tumor, she understood the concept of hurting because your loved ones were in pain.

She headed into her office and opted to only turn on the lamp. She still had a bit of a headache and didn't want the harsh fluorescent lighting hitting her eyes. She grabbed the box of tissues from her coffee table and flopped onto the couch. She inwardly cursed when she realized that she had forgotten to grab her bottle of Advil from her desk and considered getting back up too much trouble. Her back didn't hurt, it was just slightly stiff, but she didn't feel well and sleep was beckoning so she allowed herself to be pulled under.

Booth found Cam and waited with her for a few minutes while she replaced the liver of the victim she was examining. He had to laugh that he could actually manage to stay in the room with all of the slime, blood, and gunk. Maybe he did have a bit of a squint in him after all.

He explained the scenario as they walked toward the anthropologist's office. He commandeered an ice pack and towel on the way and held the door to allow Cam to enter first. He was a little surprised when the medical examiner waited by the door instead of approaching her subordinate. It was evident that she was asleep and Booth didn't immediately know what the holdup was.

Cam saw the confusion on his face and spoke first. "Oh no, Seeley, I am not waking her up," she said with a stern look on her face. "No offense, but she's not the most pleasant of personalities when she doesn't feel well. You weren't here on Friday," she finished and allowed Booth to push past her. He shot her a cheeky grin as he thought about his grumpy Bones. For some reason, he loved it when she was grumpy. It amused him.

He dropped to his knees next to his partner and wiped some hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She was lying in a completely prone position with her head resting on her folded arms. "Bones, wake up for a second and let Cam take a look at your back," he said.

She didn't move and her voice was muffled by her arms but she managed to protest. "Cam, I don't know than an examination is necessary. Booth is just being over protective."

Cam approached and sat on the edge of the couch near the small of her back. "Dr. Brennan," she started. "I'm going to raise your shirt up so I can take a look."

Brennan just nodded and let Cam lift up her top. "Ouch!" was her boss's initial reaction. "Are you sure you aren't experiencing a lot of pain from this?"

"I would have anticipated more but since the pain from the initial impact dissipated, I've only been experiencing minor discomfort and a good deal of stiffness," Brennan explained.

"Hmm," Cam uttered. The bruising perplexed her. She'd seen much less on people with severe injuries. "It's a major contusion. Let me just feel around a little bit. No tingling or anything in your lower extremities?" she asked.

"Uh unh," she half mumbled, half spoke. She had her jaw clinched anticipating pain from the manipulation but she mostly just felt pressure.

After just a few more moments of examining, Cam spoke again. "Everything seems to be fine, Dr. Brennan. I would just limit your movement for the time being and ice your back for at least 30 minutes," she said as she stood to leave. "Take what time you need to recover," she added. It wouldn't have required a MD to see that the anthropologist was still under the weather.

"Thanks, Cam," Brennan said still remaining as still as possible.

Booth approached and put the towel followed by the ice pack on her back. "Bones, are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Booth," she answered again without moving. "I am just feeling a little run down at the moment. I suppose my body is still working to fight of the infection from this weekend," she sniffled and shifted slightly to wipe the tissue in her hand over her nose. "I'm just going to rest for a little while. Would you hand me the bottle of Advil from my desk?" She wouldn't normally ask for help but she figured he wanted something to do.

"Sure," he said and grabbed the bottle taking out a pair of the shiny gel caps out. He grabbed a bottle of water for her and sat on her table while she took the pills and lay back down. "It's 3:00, Bones. You want me to pick you up for dinner or something?" he asked.

"No thanks, Booth," she answered. "I think I'm going to rest for a few and then finish up with the skeleton in the bone room. I think I just want to go home and climb in the bed tonight."

While it worried him slightly, Booth was thankful that she was planning on getting some rest so he didn't argue. "Alright, Bones. I'll see you tomorrow. Parker still wants you to come to his baseball game tomorrow night but if you aren't up to it, he'll have plenty more."

"I'll feel up to it," she said and closed her eyes.

Booth smiled and messed with her hair slightly as he got up to leave. He loved her for her fighting nature. She was a unique and wonderful individual that was for sure.

"Feel better, Bones," he said as he left her office.

**That's all she wrote for the time being. Going to try and get chaps of all my fics up this week. I know you may be a little confused with the purpose of this one but I can promise you it will become clear eventually.**

**I will tell you that the next chapter will include a 'feeling better' Brennan, Parker, Booth, and lots of fluffy goodness. I've already started it. It's time to see a little glimpse into the 'village' this couple has built over the years.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Thanks so much for the reviews and alerts of the first chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. **

**I do promise that I am going somewhere with this. For now, however, just enjoy the fluff. I have a lot more to come. **

**Like I said in the first chapter, I am going to attempt and post more often all of my fics. Feel free to nag or chase me down if I don't update in a timely manner. Sometimes it does speed me up a bit.**

**Thanks so much to Thnx4theGum, DVApples, and StefJunkiecat for helping me out and to MickeyBoggs for helping me adhere to the structure of the English language. You gals are the best.**

**Please continue to add alerts and let me know what you think even if it's bad.**

Disclaimer – I don't own Bones.

Chapter 2

Brennan did as she had told Booth she planned and headed home by 6:00 pm. After a short nap in her office, she had worked a little bit on a World War I skeleton she'd arranged early that morning in the bone room and quickly identified the soldier. She placed the remains in a mahogany box and instructed an assistant to arrange for delivery to the family. She checked her watch and saw that it was 5:30 pm. She quickly decided that it was time to go home. She was so tired that she didn't even bother taking her laptop. She simply grabbed her cell phone and purse and headed to her car.

She couldn't be 100 percent positive but she couldn't immediately recall a time that she had been in bed before 8:00 but it happened that night. She checked the clock and was slightly shocked to see that it said 7:38 but didn't allow the early hour to stop her from switching off the lamp and falling into a much needed sleep.

****

When the alarm sounded at 7:00 am the following morning, Brennan was thankful she had called it a night so early and set the alarm for two hours later. She felt much better than she had in days and didn't seem to be running a fever any more. She quickly showered and headed in to the lab. She was approximately an hour and a half later than she usually was but she didn't care. She was just thankful to be back in the land of the living as Booth would say.

She settled into her desk chair and began checking emails. She didn't find any pressing business she needed to handle immediately. She did have three emails from Booth, one giving her the details of Parker's baseball game that evening, one telling her that the suspect had confessed to the murder and assault with a deadly weapon for attacking her and would be wearing bright orange for quite a while, and one get well e-card with a dancing skeleton. She laughed at the anatomical inaccuracy of the skeleton and smiled at the thoughtfulness of her partner. She also laughed at the charges on the murderer. '_Leave it to Booth to get a decorative lawn rock deemed a deadly weapon,' _she thought to herself.

She had just clicked off of the card when her best friend entered her office. "Hey Sweetie," she chirped. "Cam said you hurt your back. Are you sure you're okay?" she asked as she plopped into the chair beside her desk.

Brennan hadn't talked to Angela in a week. She had gone out of town on one of her little art excursions to paint and let out some frustration. She was happy to see her but didn't like the inquisition she always received when she returned. "I'm fine, Ange. It's just a bruise and probably wouldn't have bothered me at all if I wasn't battling some kind of mild respiratory infection," Brennan explained.

"Are you sick, Sweetie?" she grew concerned and placed her hand on Brennan's forehead but found it quickly swatted away by a clearly frustrated anthropologist.

"I was over the weekend, but I'm over it now. No, I didn't see a doctor and no, I'm not still running a fever," she said in effort to get a jump on her friend's questions. Sometimes she could be as protective as Booth.

"Whatever you say, Bren, but you do look a little more pale than usual," she knew her best friend had a tendency to minimize but would trust her since she seemed to be feeling okay. "So, tell me. . . did agent hot stuff make you soup and put mentholated rub over your chest?" she prodded.

"Angela, that's ridiculous. I'm perfectly capable of caring for myself and besides," she sounded slightly disappointed as she finished speaking. "Booth had Parker all weekend," she said as she stood. "Speaking of Parker – If I want to make it to his baseball game tonight, I have to get started on that skeleton for the Native American Research Department."

"Fine, but you need to learn to live, Brennan," she yelled to her friend as she watched her collect her lab coat and head toward the platform.

Brennan worked on a skeleton for several hours on the platform. Native American Research needed her to confirm tribe in order to identify a burial ground and settle a dispute between two tribes before the dispute led to violence. She was examining the skull under magnification when her cell phone rang.

She carefully replaced the skull on the table and answered. "Brennan," she said.

'_You sound better,' _her partner didn't even provide her with a greeting before speaking.

"I slept what I would normally consider an excessive amount and it seems to have provided my body with the opportunity to recover," she replied before giving him the more simple answer she knew he'd want. "I'm feeling much better and before you ask, my back is fine," she smiled knowing he was probably rolling his eyes at her preempting his next line of questioning.

'_Good,' _he said. _'You still planning on coming to the game tonight?' _he asked.

"I'll be there," she answered plainly.

'_Parker wants to go for pizza afterwards if you are up to it,'_ he went on. '_I have a lunch meeting so I won't be able to head to the diner with you for lunch but I'll see you at the park this afternoon. Alright, Bones?'_ he finished.

"Sounds good, Booth. I'll see you there," she said before hanging up. In some ways she was thankful he wouldn't be able to go to lunch with her. She wanted to see him but wasn't really hungry. She'd eaten a bagel in the car on the way to work and since she was later than usual she didn't need to eat lunch at her usual time. Hopefully, she'd be able to work through lunch and finish with identification of the skeleton in plenty of time to leave for Parker's game.

The day went by very quickly. By 3:15, she had identified the skeleton as a member of the Lemhi Tribe and called the director over to the platform to inform him of her findings. She spent the better part of two hours going over the tools, bone markings, and indicators she used to make her determination and was thankful when he finally conceded to her expertise, thanked her and left.

She looked down at her watch and found it was 5:30. She had exactly 30 minutes to change and head to Parker's ballgame before the first toss or pitch or whatever it was called. She headed into her office, locked the door behind her and slid into a pair of boot cut jeans, Northwestern t-shirt, and tennis shoes. She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail but was careful to make sure it was neat and not ragged like some of the pony tails she would wear on the platform. She grabbed her FBI baseball cap and headed out.

She was about to walk through the sliding doors when she heard a voice from behind her. "Since when do you wear hot looking FBI hats and leave at 5:50 in the afternoon, Sweetie?" Angela asked. "It wouldn't have anything to do with a pair of Booth men participating in what you have often referred to as a 'testosterone battle,' would it?"

Brennan faced her friend for just a second but started walking again. "Goodnight, Angela," she said and rolled her eyes before walking out.

****

"Did you see it, Bones, did you see it?" Parker Booth practically yelled and launched himself into an unsuspecting anthropologist's lap on the bleachers. "I hit a home run!" he kept going. "The best part is I didn't even look at the ball after I hit it. I did just what dad told me and I looked at him even though it went all the way over the fence," the third grader continued his ramble.

Brennan just smiled at the little Booth. "I did see Parker. I'm very proud of you."

Just then, a very sweaty Seeley Booth plopped onto the bleachers beside her and put his arm around her. "Always remember, you're only as good as your amazing coach, Parker," he teased.

Brennan laughed a little and then peeled Booth's arm off of her. "You stink, Booth," she griped. "Please tell me there is a shower around here somewhere. I don't really want to be seen in public with a Neanderthal."

"Aww now, Bones, that's part of the fun. Hanging out with stinky men must indicate that you are the alpha female who captured the strongest of the strong," he flashed her a smile.

"Actually, in today's modern American society, Booth, it would indicate that I was with a less intelligent male since antiperspirants are readily available at any store for an economical price," she taunted him back.

"Whatever, Bones," he sighed. "Come on Parker, let's go shower to make our lady happy," he said. "Just stay put, Bones. We're going to run in to the field house and shower. We'll be right back." He grabbed his little boy's bag and the pair made the short walk to the adjacent field house.

Brennan rolled her neck a little bit. Her back was slightly stiff, nothing major she just assumed that the muscle stiffness was finally setting in from her tumble the previous day.

She checked her watch and it was almost 8:00. She laughed when she realized she was in the bed by this time the previous day. It made her thankful that she was feeling more normal now and had in fact felt up to attending Parker's ballgame.

Their little village was an interesting dynamic. They weren't romantically involved but they each had deep feelings and attachments for each other. She couldn't imagine her life without the Booth men. '_Maybe that is what love is,'_ she thought to herself. '_Maybe the emotional attachments trigger the release of the chemicals scientists say are responsible for the emotion of love?'_ she pondered. '_I suppose it really doesn't matter if it's love or not. I am quite content at the moment and Booth seems to be as well. We don't have to call it love to be a family.'_

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Parker approaching. "Bones, I was really fast in the shower. Dad told me I needed to hurry because we needed to get you fed. He said you probably didn't eat lunch," he continued to ramble. "I think I'd probably die if I didn't have lunch. I don't know why anyone would want to skip it."

"Parker, it's highly unlikely that someone would die by missing one meal. In actuality, meals should only consist of 500 calories or less," she countered.

"What's a calorie?" the inquisitive child asked.

Brennan was pleased to answer a scientific question for Parker. She knew Booth always accused her of turning him into a squint but that deep down, he liked it. He was proud of his son for his intelligence. "A calorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree," she explained as if she was talking to a college student. "3500 calories equals a pound, generally speaking."

"Cool," the little boy perked up a little. "Dad, can I eat 3500 calories worth of pizza so I can gain a pound?" he asked.

"Parker, even I know that if you ate 3500 calories worth of pizza, I'd be cleaning vomit up off the bathroom floor all night," Booth laughed. "But you know I am taking you back to your mom's tonight so. . ." he was interrupted by Brennan.

"Booth, that would be mean," she said.

"Kidding, Bones, only kidding. Now let's go eat before Parker eats my hand," he said. "You need to eat too; your skin is still too pale."

Brennan made a mental note to put on more makeup the following day. Two 'you're pale' comments in one day was way too much for her. She didn't like it but knew that it was due to a combination of lack of sun, her recent infection, and her skin tone.

She allowed him to guide her off of the bleachers and took his hand as she slid off. She stopped slightly to stretch some of the stiffness out of her back. "Your back bothering you?" he asked.

"It hasn't been, but I think the bleachers just made me a little stiff," she answered. "I'm fine."

He nodded and guided her toward the SUV. "I'm driving," he declared. "I'll bring you back to get your car after I drop Parker off."

Brennan just sighed and followed. She was quite certain that they would always bicker over driving. She hated to admit it but she liked it. It made her feel loved for some reason she couldn't explain.

****

The trio spent the next hour or so eating pizza and acting like a family. Parker had to tell Brennan all about school and how he felt he knew more about science than his teacher did. "You know, Parker," she explained. "Many women are afraid of science because they feel it hardens them or that they aren't smart enough. That's why scientists like Dr. Saroyan and me spend time trying to change that attitude."

The blunt young man clearly did not understand that line of thinking. "That's just dumb Bones. There's nothing better than a hot scientist!" he stated. "You and Dr. Saroyan and Angela are hot and dad says you are all geniuses. All women should want to be like you."

Booth couldn't stop his reaction. He knew he was probably the source of that statement but never thought Parker would repeat it in front of his partner. His son's words absolutely shocked him and the soda he was drinking managed to find its way through his nasal passages and out.

Parker reacted first. "Cool, Dad!" he said excitedly. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"Actually, Parker," Brennan seized the opportunity to educate him on structural anatomy. "It's quite simple. The mouth, nose, and eyes are all connected by a passageway. Fluids can easily enter one way and exit another."

This explanation elicited another energetic response from the boy. "Cool!" he shouted. "I want to try and shoot milk out my eyes!" he bounced with excitement. "Can you teach me to do that dad?"

Booth had obviously had enough. "Maybe when you have armpit hair, bub. We gotta get you home. It's a school night!"

"Awww, Dad," Parker whined but complied and stood to leave.

****

After dropping Parker off and getting back in the car, Booth could provide his partner with his undivided attention. "I'd offer to go ahead and drop you off at home, Bones," he said as he climbed back into his seat. "But I have an MRI in the morning," he went on.

The mention of the MRI pulled Brennan's attention away from her relaxed state and onto her partner. "Are you alright?" her voice shook slightly with panic. "You aren't having headaches or seeing animated characters again are you?" she grew more worried at the thought. The possibility of going through that again terrified her. Seeing him weak and so vulnerable wasn't appealing in the least.

He sensed he apprehension and placed a comforting hand on her thigh as he continued to drive. "Bones, I'm fine. Never been better. It's just my 9 month follow up. I was supposed to have it last month but had to cancel when we had to go out to New Mexico." He gave her a slight squeeze. "I'm fine."

"Do you need me to take you?" she asked.

"Nah," he responded. "I'm a big boy but I'll tell you what. We'll go out tomorrow night and celebrate. I'll even take you somewhere I don't have a coupon for!" he kidded.

She took a deep breath. She would be nervous about his appointment until she heard from him but she wouldn't let her nervousness show. "Want me to meet you at the Hoover around 6:00?" she asked.

"I'm not sure where I'll be at quitting time so I'll swing by the lab and pick you up. Get some rest tonight. I'm not going to let you stand me up tomorrow night," he kidded as he pulled up beside her car.

"See you tomorrow, Booth," she said as she climbed out of the car and pushed the button to open her own. She stopped to stretch slightly before entering her vehicle and heading home. She had a feeling the next day was going to be a very long one.

**Hope you enjoyed! Keep reading and if you have a chance, leave me a review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – Alright guys please remember this is spring break and I am updating at a more rapid than usual pace as some of you already know. I'll have to slow down at some point but for now I'm moving quickly. **

**Thanks for all the reviews on the first 2 chaps. It's great to hear what you guys think.**

**Thanks to MickeyBoggs for her proofing skills and also to the various people who gave me feedback on this one. I was really nervous about this chap and the people who gave me feedback are too numerous to list. **

**Hope you guys enjoy!**

Disclaimer – I don't own Bones.

Chapter 3

The partners woke on separate sides of town at approximately the same time but in very different scenarios. Booth bounded from the bed like a little boy heading to some huge sporting event. The previous night had been magical in his opinion. He got to spend time with his two favorite people and watch them interact like a family.

In some ways, he hated that his tumor got in the way of so much. His Bones had finally been ready to give love and have a child. It scared him to death but the thought of having a child with her was beautiful. It would be a connection that they would always share. He knew that it would be different than his strained connection with Rebecca. Brennan had more love in her small finger than Rebecca did in her whole body. Rebecca was a good woman, she really was, but her love was limited. She loved Parker and she loved her independence. There wasn't room for more.

With Bones, it was different. No matter how many people she helped or the number of people that came into her life, she always seemed to have the space in that over-sized heart of hers to love them. He was almost ready to tell her, to give in and beg her to give them a try when the stupid tumor got in the way of everything.

He viewed today as the opportunity to start over. The doctors had told him that if his tumor didn't return within nine months that the likelihood it would ever return was almost nonexistent. The tumor had indeed been completely benign and he would have no long term problems. That was their stupid scientific opinion but in his opinion, he had a big long term problem. He was in love, according to the scans, but he wasn't in love before. He didn't know how long the love would be there but he couldn't imagine it leaving. The place in his heart that belonged to Dr. Temperance Brennan was massive and he was confident that no other person in the world would ever fit into that slot.

He thought about her and how happy she made him and then began to get ready for the day. He had to be at the hospital by 8:00 so he was starting his day at his usual time. He figured, however, that he would not be in to the office before lunch at the earliest. He would have the MRI and blood work done at the outpatient imagining wing and then head over to his neurosurgeon's office to await results.

****

Temperance Brennan on the other hand did not bound from the bed. She groaned, rolled over and allowed herself from a few minutes to prepare to extract herself from her warm cocoon. She hadn't slept well the night before. She had been so anxious about Booth's MRI scan that she hadn't been able to sleep for more than about 20 minutes at a time. She tossed and turned and at a couple of points woke with a start from what she imagined were nightmares that caused her to break out in a sweat.

She had finally drifted off completely around 4 am and was not amused when her alarm sounded at 5:30. She didn't want to go into work late although the thought of going back to sleep was tempting. She didn't want to risk having to work late and miss her . . . her appointment with Booth that evening. She just hoped that the news wasn't bad and that they would be able to celebrate his clean bill of health.

Five years ago, Temperance Brennan never would have imagined that she would feel so connected to another individual that she was physically impacted by fear for their well-being. At some point, she didn't know when, she had become that way with Booth and Parker was quickly becoming equally, yet differently important. She didn't know what she wanted. Part of her wanted to tell Booth how she felt and see his reaction but the more logical part knew that he might not feel the same way for her. She would just have to be patient and wait on him.

She sighed, threw back the covers, and climbed out of bed. '_Ugh,'_ she thought as she stood. '_Now my back hurts,'_ she inwardly grumbled. Sometimes soreness compounded in the days after a fall and that was proving true in her case. She did a few stretches and headed toward the shower. The warm water did relax her muscles some and she dressed for work. She did select a pair of flats with arch support instead of heels to make her day a little easier on her lumbar regions before heading out.

On the way in, she considered running into the diner to pick up a bagel but determined that she was too anxious and that food on an anxious 'gut,' as Booth would call it, would not be a good idea. She'd grab a cup of hot tea at the lab and that would help her to get through the morning.

As she walked from the parking deck into the lab she pulled out her phone and sent her partner a simple text message. '_Call me as soon as you know something. I have faith the news will be good,' _she wrote. She didn't know what prompted her to use the word faith. It wasn't faith in a higher being but it was faith in Booth, in her constant. This was his body that she was trusting. She used that word to let him know that she trusted him fully and completely. He'd saved her when she was in danger, had held her when she was scared, and encouraged her when she didn't think she could. She had faith in him.

It was almost immediately that her phone buzzed with a text message from Booth. '_The news will be great, Bones. Be ready to celebrate tonight!'_ was his simple reply and as simple as it was, it made her smile and helped settle her nerves.

****

"So, what's the verdict, Doc?" Booth asked as he sat in the bland exam room on top of the ugly brown table with his feet dangling like Parker's at the movie theater. He used a very jovial tone but his fears were real. He'd managed to keep his composure through the MRI and blood draw but now that he was about to hear the news, he was nervous.

The graying doctor positioned himself in front of Booth with his tablet PC. He clicked at a few icons with his stylus and called up Booth's test results. "Well, Agent Booth," he began. "All of your blood work was perfect. Your counts are wonderful and based on the quick testing there are no abnormal cells present," he smiled a little bit. "You're clean."

Booth exhaled slightly. He'd always been nervous that they'd end up finding a cancerous cell at some point. He knew it was unlikely but the possibility of a debilitating disease like cancer scared him more than the possibility of facing another Howard Epps. "That's good," he puffed out.

"Now," the doctor clicked a little bit more on his tablet. "Here's your MRI from today," he pointed at the display and then drew a circle around an area that Booth knew was around the occipital lobe. Hanging out with Bones had taught him a thing or two.

"Here," the doctor pointed to the circle, "is the region of your cerebellum from which we extracted the astrocytoma," he explained and then clicked again. This click put a translucent overlay of another MRI image on top of the most recent one. "That's your MRI at six months post op," he informed Booth. "You can see that the space that was less active has now returned to a brighter, more active appearance," he said.

"I don't know what that means," was Booth's simple response.

"It means, Agent Booth," he said with a smile, "that your brain has returned to 100 percent functionality and is as if there was never a tumor there." He grinned when he noticed how Booth's face lit up. "You can even tell that brilliant partner of yours that you are smarter now than you were before," the doctor kidded knowing that the statement wasn't scientifically accurate but he'd been around Booth and Brennan enough to know that Booth loved to pick at her.

"Do you have any questions?" he asked.

Booth's thoughts came so quickly. He almost didn't know how to handle them. The words, 'as if there was never a tumor,' echoed through his head. '_What about the bright areas?" _he thought and decided to ask. He didn't have anything to lose.

"Umm," he stammered slightly. "My FBI Psychologist said that there were big differences in regions of my brain that were the love areas or something like that. What do those areas look like now?" he was almost afraid to go on. "I mean, will that ever go back to what it was like before the tumor?"

The doctor nodded and tapped around on the tablet for a few seconds before flipping it back around to show Booth 5 scans tiled across the screen. "Alright," he started. "This is pre-operative, this is during your coma, this is at your six week follow up, this one is at six months, and this is today," he pointed to each image as he identified it. "The only one that shows a difference of electrical activity is the first one and I think you shrink is talking about these areas," he said as he pointed at the regions Booth recalled Sweets ranting about. "Generally speaking we say that love or intense emotions are centered in those areas."

Booth nodded. "How long. . .I mean," his voice shook. "How long until that goes back to the way it was before?" he asked and was afraid to hear the answer.

The doctor couldn't understand why Booth was so nervous so he quickly gave his answer. "I wouldn't expect there to be any change, Agent Booth." His answer was confident. "You see, the first MRI was taken when you were on very heavy neurodepressants to stop your hallucinations," he explained. "I would have expected to see decreased electrical activities in all regions of the brain. Comparing that scan with any of the other scans would be like comparing apples to oranges. They aren't equal," he said. "We were only concerned with getting images of the tumor itself when we took this. We weren't concerned with the unaffected regions of the brain."

Anger pulsed through Booth as he heard this. '_Medicated. . . I was medicated and I thought that I only loved Bones because of stupid brain damage after the operation and I was medicated for the first scan,'_ he thought. He took a deep breath before asking his next question. "Was this clearly marked on the first scan? Would my therapist know that?"

The doctor nodded not sure of what the agent's next move would be. "Yes, Agent Booth, the medications are listed and marked in your file as well."

Booth simple response spoke volumes, "I'm going duck hunting."

The doctor didn't know what that meant but knew he wouldn't want to be a certain therapist at the moment. He decided to wrap things up, "I'm releasing you, Agent Booth. If you experience any headaches, hallucinations, or abnormal symptoms, give my office a call. Do you have any other questions?" he finished.

Booth simply shook his hand and stood to leave. He uttered a simple "Nope! Thanks, Doc," as he walked out the door.

As he made his way out of the doctor's office and to his SUV, he was surprised at the calm that washed over him. He would take care of this problem and he would make things right. Today was the day that would determine the direction of the rest of his life. He wasn't going to wait any longer.

He quickly recalled the promise he had made to Bones about letting her know what he found out. He flipped open his phone and sent her another message. '_All done at the doctor. Everything is good. Healthy as a horse. Got some business to take care of. Pick you up 6 Lab!'_

****

"Nervous much?" Angela asked as she swiped her card to the platform. Her best friend was seated with her back to the steps and had jumped at the sound of Angela's access being granted.

Brennan whipped around. "Sorry, Ange," she said. "I'm just a little on edge."

Angela immediately noticed the circles of exhaustion that had formed around her friend's eyes. "Rough night?" she asked but didn't give her friend time to respond before she went on. "Please tell me it has to do with you wearing only that FBI hat and spending _quality _time with a certain FBI agent, Sweetie."

"Angela," Brennan responded sharply. "Booth and I are not romantically involved. You know that full well. To answer your real question, I didn't sleep well. Booth has his MRI scan today and I was quite a bit apprehensive about that," she explained. "I tossed and turned all night long."

The artist allowed a smile to grow on her face. "Aww Sweetie, that's so sweet. You two are just too cute for words sometimes," she kidded.

As Brennan was rolling her eyes again, the sound of electronics on metal sounded. Brennan's stomach immediately responded to the sound by clenching. She knew that it was about time for Booth to be leaving the doctor. She cut her eyes to her best friend. "Sweetie, just check it. Your nerves aren't going to change what it says," she comforted her friend by rubbing her back slightly.

"That's a valid point, Ange," she responded and pressed the button to view the message.

As she read it a tear slid down her cheek.

"Oh, Sweetie, what's wrong?" Her friend asked.

Brennan looked up with a teary smile. "Nothing! He's all clear. Has the health of a horse which doesn't make sense to me."

Angela laughed, "Healthy as a horse, Bren. It's slang." She pulled her best friend into a tight hug without warning.

"Ahhh," Brennan winced. "Careful Ange, my back is bothering me today."

"Sorry, Sweetie, just excited for you," Angela said as she released her. "I'm sure that idiot murderer knocked you all out of alignment if you are still hurting. Why don't you go over to my wellness clinic? They have a masseuse and a chiropractor. Just let them check you out and if nothing's wrong you can get at least get a massage."

Brennan sighed. She didn't resort to medical attention but wanted to be able to enjoy her night with Booth. Normally, she would claim that chiropractors were not even real medical professionals but she knew that she had no serious back injury and would give in to the expertise of a professional who worked on minor back pain daily. She had nothing to lose. "I'm not sure if it will help but I would imagine the potential benefits outweigh the risks."

Angela nodded. "Good, I'll go call and get them to work you in soon," it actually excited the artist that she might get to spend some time with her friend. "Finish up here and we can head on over and get lunch. The restaurant there has some killer grilled asparagus that I know you'll love."

****

"Agent Booth, not that I'm not happy to see you but we don't have an appointment and as you can see, I am with a patient," Sweets was completely startled when the agent came barreling into his office anger emanating from every feature. Booth continued to approach him without making a sound, allowing his face to speak for him. "If you would just check with my assistant I'm sure she could give you a time," he stopped when Booth halted and interrupted him.

"I already checked and you know what, Sweets, she cleared this appointment for me," he turned to the small framed woman seated on the opposite couch. "Your appointment is over. I'm sure Dr. Sweets can make time for you later unless you'd like to observe and write up synopsis for Sweets' book."

The woman just shook her head and for lack of better words scurried out of the office.

"Alright now, Sweets," he said as he crowed into the psychologists personal space thankful he was still seated and he could tower over him. "Shut up and listen. You say a word before I tell you to speak, I'll shoot you."

"Bones and I were doing just fine before you stuck your nose into our relationship. I gave you a pass when I got shot," he saw the younger man cower when the word shot left his lips. "That's right Sweets, I know about that. Who do you think had to comfort her when her assistant was arrested and she was crushed?" he asked the rhetorical question and received only a mild shake of uncertainty from Sweets. "Me, Sweets, me. I was the one to take her home and hug her while she cried for Zack and cried for me. She didn't know whether or not to be happy I was alive or furious that I wasn't dead. You ripped her heart out Sweets just so you could see her reaction," Booth backed up a little, sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair with frustration. "I should have just sniped you then. It would have saved us both pain."

"You know what Sweets?" he went on. "You are just like every other bastard that's ever made his way through Bones' life. You find her interesting, amusing but when you want something from her you think she won't break, that she won't feel things," he started pacing. "But you are wrong, Sweets. She isn't made of stone she just knows how to put herself back together. She's done that for 20 years because she's had no one to help her repair the damage," he looked the younger man in the eyes. "I had almost done that Sweets, I was so close. She was learning to love. Hell, she even wanted to have my child. Do you realize how big that was, Sweets?" he paused for a physical response.

Sweets nodded his head. He wouldn't speak even if he would have been capable of doing so. "No, you don't Sweets. There's no way in hell you realized that or you wouldn't have pulled this stunt."

He waited to give the therapist the opportunity to shake slightly. "That's right Sweets, you know exactly what I'm talking about don't you?" he paused again and Sweets nodded.

"Guess what I had this morning? Yep, my follow up MRI and you know what I learned, Sweets?" he didn't pause. "I learned that when that all-telling MRI that showed I didn't love Bones was taken I was on all kinds of medications to slow down my brain," he shouted. "That would have been a nice thing for you to tell me, Sweets, because I'm pretty sure that makes a difference."

"Now, I want you to understand that you took something from me. You took time, time that I could have been happy and more importantly that I could have made Bones happy," he kept on going. "I love Temperance Brennan from the bottom of my heart. It has nothing to do with at stupid tumor that was in my brain, Sweets. It's in my heart and nothing you try to do for the sake of your research will ever change that," he finally stopped to take a breath and plan his next move.

After just a few seconds he was ready to finish up. "I'm going to leave now and pretend that you never said anything to me about Bones and love or anything other than how we worked together as partners. I'm going to suggest that you take a few days of vacation because I can't promise that if I see you in the near future that I won't change my mind and shoot you on the spot. Be very careful, Sweets, very careful."

That was it, he was finished. He'd said what he needed to say. He positioned himself, silently, in front of Sweets and stared him down for about ten seconds. It probably seemed like an eternity to the younger man. As he prepared to walk away, he hooked his strong foot under Sweets' chair and sent the psychologist backward toward the ground. Satisfied that he had accomplished his goal, he left without saying a word. He had some preparations to make for what could be the most important date of his life.

****

Brennan and Angela made their way back to the lab after spending the better part of four hours at the wellness spa. They had lunch and then a chiropractor checked Brennan over. The bruising on her back concerned him so he did a few x-rays despite her persistent claim that nothing was broken. Of course, she was correct it was nothing serious but as Angela had predicted, several of her vertebrae were slightly shifted. He spent some time realigning her spine and then suggested she have a massage to loosen some of the stiffness out of the muscles around her spine. Brennan took his advice and then she and her best friend both had hour long massages, Brennan's treat.

"How's your back now?" Angela asked with a sly smile as they drove back. Her friend was practically asleep she was so relaxed. Angela had never seen her so calm.

"'Mmmm," Brennan mumbled. "It's much better. I actually feel as though my back and thighs are composed of a gelatinous matrix at the moment. Thanks, Angela." She was honest. She didn't have any of the back pain or pressure she'd been experiencing.

Angela laughed. "Only you, Brennan, would be half asleep and still able to talk like that. I'm glad it helped though and that you're okay."

"Me too," Brennan started to say when her cell buzzed with yet another text from Booth. '_Took care of all my business. At the lab at 6. Dress casual and take a nap if you need it.'_ She laughed as she read. He was always bugging her to take a nap. '_Must be a male thing,' _she thought to herself. '_He could nap more than a hibernating bear.'_

Angela glanced over at the phone. "YOU HAVE A DATE WITH BOOTH?!?!?! Sweetie, why didn't you tell me," her voice was so loud it nearly pierced through Brennan's skull.

"It's not a date, it's a celebration," she rationalized. "We are celebrating our health. I told you he was cleared completely today."

"Yes, Brennan, I remember that. Hate to tell you though, Sweetie, if he's telling you what to wear, it's a date," she argued. "As your best friend, I'm telling you that you need to wear that hot little blue and white top we got last summer and your darker skinny jeans. It'll be perfect," her excitement grew. "Oh and you definitely need to put your hair up."

Brennan wasn't sure if her friend continued to talk or not. She just let the words, 'it's a date' resonate through her brain. She hoped her friend was right. Maybe this was the beginning of something more than just partners.

**Let me know what you think! It'll probably get help me post faster but I don't wait b/c of lack of reviews. They just amuse me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – So I'm batting a thousand on this one. 4 updates in as many days. I'm going to have to slow down soon, though but as always, I promise I will update and I will finish.**

**Chapters like this are VERY hard for me to write. I tend to love to write angst and struggle a bit with the softer topics. I hope this turned out okay.**

**Thanks you so much for all of your reviews and feedback on the previous 3 chapters. It's always worrisome to start a story. I always question how will it be received, is it a dumb idea, should I even waste my time with it etc. It's good to see that someone enjoys reading it. Please continue to let me know what you think, good or bad. I can handle the criticism.**

**Thanks to MickeyBoggs, StefJunkieCat, FirstofOctober and others for their help on getting this up. You guys keep me in check and I appreciate it.**

**ENJOY!!**

Disclaimer – I am not associated with the show "BONES." If I was, this scenario would probably happen and the show would get canned. LOL

Chapter 4

Seeley Booth spent the afternoon planning like his life depended on it. In many ways it did, if this didn't go well, the life he longed for would never be his. He needed the night to be perfect. He informed his boss that Sweets had told him he needed some time to himself and recommended he take the afternoon off. That was a lie, yes, but there was no way Sweets would ever deny saying that. Not after Booth threatened to shoot him if he so much as breathed the wrong way.

With the time he needed at his disposal, he visited a jeweler, two separate Chinese restaurants, a pastry chef, and a store he thought he would never step foot in, a microscope and telescope dealer. By 4:30 he had everything he needed and headed to his apartment to shower and get ready. He was glad he chose to go with a casual night and not some fancy restaurant. He knew that Bones got uptight when she had an image to uphold or would be recognized by fans. He wanted her to feel free and uninhibited. He laughed a little as he thought about it. Most men would want women to be uninhibited so they would give them their bodies but it was different, very different with Bones. She didn't guard her body, she guarded her heart. He wanted her body, she was amazingly beautiful and any man would want her body, but her heart was what made her Bones and he wanted her to give her heart to him.

He headed into the lab around 5:40 and saw that her office door was closed so he went to visit some of his other squints to give her the time. "Hey Seeley, freshly shaven this late in the day," Cam picked. "Must be some special lady."

Booth's face reddened slightly at the mention. "Ummm, actually," he wavered. "I'm. . . uh . . . Bones and I have plans for the night," he said when he finally found some actual words. He hadn't expected anyone to pick up on that. He should have expected it from Cam, though.

The medical examiner just laughed a little and was about to speak when Hodgins chimed in from a few feet away. "Dude," he said in typical Hodgins fashion. "It's about time you guys came clean."

Booth knew it was time to lead them into a different thought path. They were right, very right, but he couldn't have them saying something to Bones and ruining it or scaring her off. "I don't know what you two are talking about," he lied. "We're just celebrating my clean MRI today. Doc says I'm back to 100 percent."

Cam knew about her friend's struggle with the brain scans Sweets had shown him so she was surprised he said 100 percent without hesitation. "Everything? Even the . . . electrical activity?" she prodded.

Booth smirked a little. "Let's just say some areas of electrical activity were never different. I was just slightly misinformed," he raised his eyebrows as he spoke.

Cam's quick mind automatically made the connection. "Sounds good, I'm happy for you," she pulled him into a hug and released him after just a few seconds. "Now, back to work related matters," she changed the subject. "I got a very interesting email from Dr. Sweets earlier. He said he would be taking some time off to do some revisions on his book before he makes his final submission at the end of the month," she said while giving Booth an 'I know you had something to do with this' look.

"I heard something about that," Booth responded in a very detached manner. He clapped his hands together, an obvious indication he was done talking about it. "Now, I've got a beautiful anthropologist to pick up. Talk to you squints later," he said.

Cam and Hodgins both looked at each other and laughed. They both knew something had changed; that things were brewing inside the pair. A bomb was going to drop and things would never be the same again.

****

"Be still, Bren," Angela fussed as she attempted to put a clip in Brennan's hair while she was still seated in her desk chair answering emails.

"Angela, I'm not sure why this has to be such a production," Brennan fussed back. "Booth and I spend evening time together quite often and he has never once complained about my hair or that I do not look appealing."

Angela just laughed. "Of course he's not going to complain about that, Sweetie, because you are hot and he knows it," she laughed a little. "But Brennan, this one is different. I can feel it. Has he ever told you what to wear before?" she asked.

Brennan thought for a second. "You mean beyond informing me that I need to wear my gum boots and an extra layer of clothing under my jump suit because his alpha male tendencies are telling him it is too cold outside for me?" she asked for clarification.

"What do you think I meant, Brennan?" was the simple reply.

"If that is the scenario you are positing, then no, he has never advised me in the area of wardrobe selection," she thought further. "He has complimented my necklace before, though."

Angela just giggled a little. "Told you, this time is different – promise me something, Brennan?" her tone got a little more serious and she turned the anthropologist's chair so she would be facing her. "Promise me that you won't let that big brain of yours get in the way of things tonight."

Brennan considered these words. She didn't know if the things her best friend was saying were true but she liked the idea that they were. "Angela, if something happens, I promise you I'll try."

"Good! That's all I'm asking for," Angela said sharply before changing to a more jovial tone. "That and details of everything."

"Angela!" Brennan protested.

She just giggled at Brennan's protest and kept on working. "Let's get your makeup done. I do have to say that those circles under your eyes are going to be a little hard bit of a challenge but they look better after you took that nap and got the massage."

"Thanks for going to my apartment and picking up my stuff," she thanked her friend for saving her the trouble.

"No problem, Bren," she laughed. She honestly couldn't trust her friend to make the appropriate under garment selection without her anyway and after the third instance of saying her legs felt like what normal people would refer to as Jell-O, she told her she'd take care of it and left the anthropologist to take a long nap on her office couch.

Fifteen minutes later, Angela was finished and Brennan was ready. The artist had to admit, she was beautiful and she knew a certain FBI Agent would have trouble taking his eyes, and hopefully his hands, off of her.

****

At exactly 6:00, Booth walked in to his partner's office. "Ready to . . . WOW . . . you look, um, you look amazing," he stumbled to find words that could appropriately describe how she looked. He recalled the first time he saw her in formal wear after the Charlie Sanders case. The way she looked that night paled in comparison to how she looked now. Her eyes were sparkling and her hair was pulled back into some kind of twist in the back. She was wearing skinny jeans that formed to her figure perfectly and her top revealed just enough of her chest to make him fantasize about the remainder of her figure.

"Thank you," she said in a practiced manner while allowing her eyes to examine him. "You look quite attractive yourself."

"Let's get going, Bones," he said.

He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to her office door. Just as they were about to cross the threshold she stopped. "What's wrong," he asked figuring that she forgot something.

She surprised him by wrapping her arms around him. "I'm glad you're okay, Booth. I'm glad that's all over," her words were muffled slightly due to her head being pressed against his chest.

"Me too, Bones, me too," he answered as he gave her a squeeze. "Now," he said as he released. "Let's go before I die of starvation."

"Booth, I highly doubt you've gone long enough without eating to die of starvation," she kidded back.

****

"Where are we going," she asked for the tenth time.

He smiled. "I've already told you, Bones, it's a surprise."

She rolled her eyes. "You know I don't like surprises, Booth," she fussed.

"I know Bones, you've made that very clear," he answered. "Problem is, I do like surprises and I'm driving," he knew those words would frustrate her and he loved frustrating her.

She huffed and let out a big sigh.

He just smiled at her and changed the subject. "Your back feeling better today?" he asked.

"Much better," she answered. "I visited a chiropractor and he confirmed there is nothing wrong but he adjusted my spinal column and I had a deep tissue massage. It isn't even stiff anymore," she finished.

"That's good, Bones." He considered picking on her for visiting a chiropractor but opted not to as he made the final turn into the parking lot of their destination.

"Booth," she asked. "Why are we stopping? I have no desire to visit the Collar Institute. Especially not for our . . . our celebration," she complained.

He smiled at her and turned off the engine. "We aren't going inside, Bones. We are heading over there," he pointed toward a large hill that was already shining with green rye grass even though it was only mid spring.

She simply gave him a nod of understanding and climbed out of the SUV. She allowed him to walk around to her side and guide her to the blanket he set out earlier that day.

As she approached the spread, the sweet aromas of bamboo shoot soup, vegetable stir fry, and fresh spring rolls made their way into her nasal passages. She could see that the food was set up on burners to keep it warm and Booth had obviously gone to great lengths to prepare the celebration. "Booth, how did you?" she began.

"Oh, it's amazing that some restaurants will deliver to a hill," he laughed and guided her to the blanket. "You hungry?"

She nodded and sat. He reached into a basket and pulled out bowls and a ladle to serve the soup. He then pulled out two champagne glasses. "Here you go, Bones," he said as he handed her the glasses. "Hold those for a second," he requested and after she complied, popped the cork and poured some into each glass.

He placed the champagne bottle back into the basket and reached out for the glass. "Let me make a toast," he said. "To us, to what we've done, to what we've been through and to where we're going."

She smiled and repeated a simple "To us," before clinking her glass to his.

They ate, they laughed, they reminisced and they enjoyed each other's company. When they were finished, Brennan started cleaning and Booth stopped her. "Bones, stop," he said. "I've got this. Just let me wait on you," he hoped she'd accept.

Allowing someone to wait on her and serve her wasn't something that Temperance Brennan allowed often. Sure, she ate a many five star restaurants with waiters catering to her every request but that was different. They were doing a job. Allowing someone to serve her without compensation was harder but this was Booth. He didn't fit any mold of any other person she'd ever known and for some reason he wanted to do this so she allowed it and responded by giving him a slight nod of allowance.

He grinned. "Just relax, Bones, lie back and stare at the stars. When I'm done, I'll show you what else I brought."

It didn't take him long to clean up and take most of the baskets to the SUV. He quickly trekked back to their little retreat carrying a large black duffle bag. "What's that?" she immediately asked.

"Aren't we curious tonight," he kidded as if she were ever not curious.

She rolled her eyes again, "I'm always curious, Booth. I have a very inquisitive nature."

"I know you do Bones," he laughed and went to work.

He started unpacking a metal tripod before speaking. "This, Bones, is a state of the art, Celestron NexStar Telescope," he boasted. "The guy at the store said that Delphinus will be shining really brightly tonight. I was kind of hoping you could help me find it."

Her face lit up like the Northern Sky with the offer. Booth wasn't interested in matters of science but he was doing this for her. She hadn't had the time or the opportunity to look at the stars in such a long time. He was giving her the opportunity to share something she loved, to give him a little piece of her heart. She worried that he had made a bad decision and was spending too much money on her but she chose not to mention money at the moment. This was obviously something he wanted to do and just like serving her, she'd allow it. She smiled and nodded at him.

He finished setting up the telescope and she felt like a child when she was finally able to press her eyes on the ocular. The constellations were shining brightly. She loved the stars. She couldn't remember when her parents started teaching her about them. It was something she just always knew and no matter where she was in the world – foster homes, Tibetan Mountains, or Washington DC – they were constant. Like Booth, they were always there.

Booth noticed her pondering and softly questioned. "What's going on in the big brain of yours, Bones?"

She sighed and looked him in the eyes. "I was just thinking about the stars and how no matter where I've been in life, they have always been constant. I haven't always been able to count on much but I can count on the stars."

Booth couldn't believe the opportunity she provided him. It was time. It was now or never. "You know, Bones, there are other things that are constant," he began. He took a deep breath and reached into his pocket. "I have something for you. I want you to hear me all the way out before you freak out or go all anthropological on me. Can you do that?" he asked.

She nodded and he smiled. "Here," he said and reached out to hand her shiny silver object on a very fine silver chain. "That's a Saint Joseph medallion. I know you aren't religious but that doesn't change what it symbolizes, does it?"

She gently shook her head and looked at the feminine medallion. He'd brought a lantern so there was enough light for her to see that it was engraved on the back. He saw her notice the engraving and said, "Turn it over all the way and read it."

She did as instructed and tears burned her eyes as she read and processed the words. '_The heart holds answers the brain refuses to see. - Kall._' "I . . . I don't know what that means," was her shaky response.

He gave her a smile and pulled her in to a hug. "It means, Bones, that all of these years we've been thinking with our minds – even me. We've been letting our brains drive what we do and how we go through our lives. I've learned over the past year that the mind doesn't matter," he became more confident as he spoke. "Our mind may say something or tell us what the logical thing to do is or brain scans may say we are one way or another but none of that matters. The answer, the final answer is what's in our heart," he let her out of the hug. "I know you say that the heart is just a metaphorical way to explain chemical reactions, but it's not Bones. It's real. It drives us and we can't chose where I heart goes like we can our minds. It holds the final answer."

He took another breath and placed his hand on top of hers. "Bones, I can't push my heart to the side anymore just because it's easier," he rubbed his free hand over his face. "I love you, Bones, with all my heart," he said and noticed she was preparing to speak. He took his finger and stopped her. "Let me finish, Bones."

She gave him a single nod and allowed him to continue. He was actually surprised she hadn't started running down the hill yet.

"I gave you a Saint Joseph medallion for a couple of reasons, Bones. Number one is that Joseph wasn't Jesus' real father but he raised him like he was. He struggled to accept that his family would be different at first but he realized that there's more than one kind of family and he built a life and a home filled with love. He's the Patron Saint of Families and prays for their protection through the good times and the bad times. The next reason, Joseph is also the Patron Saint of Hesitation. He prays for those that are hesitant to do things and I know that right now, even if you don't believe in him, he is interceding on our behalf," he sighed. "Alright, so that's it, I said it."

He waited for her reaction and noticed her eyes traveling back and forth from the medallion to his eyes and back to the medallion. Her emotions raced. She couldn't believe that he'd said that, that he loved her.

The question she had was 'what is love?' Were these emotions she felt love? Just like she said when she made the toast for Jared and Padame maybe the emotions prompted the release of the neurotransmitters. It was an unanswerable question similar to the chicken or the egg question she'd heard people refer to so many times before. At that moment, she decided that it didn't matter if the chicken or the egg came first. It mattered that they existed. It had to be the same with love. The source of the emotions or what came first was not important what was important was that emotions were there and were felt.

She sniffled a little and looked her partner in the eyes. "Booth, I know that you love me and I know that the feeling you elicit in me is an amazing feeling and one that I never want to go away. If that's what love is than I love you too."

Booth's eyes widened like a child's on Christmas morning. "Really?" he asked.

She gave him a nod and allowed a smile to grow on her face. "I know that I can't imagine my life without you in it."

"That's good Bones, that's really good," he was almost speechless.

She giggled at his euphoric state and said, "I'm not an expert on this kind of thing but I believe that in most cases when an admission of love is made, the pair in question generally kiss."

"Oh, ummm, yeah, definitely," he couldn't believe it and was still slightly afraid she would punch him or change her mind but he took his strong hand and placed it on her face. He put the other on the back of her head and pulled her in for the most tender, most passionate kiss he'd ever delivered. He'd kissed her before but not like this.

"Well," he said when they finally released. "What's going on in that head of yours right now, Bones?"

"Ummm, I know it's irrational but I don't want this night to ever end," she said and placed her head on his chest.

He wrapped her up in a tight embrace and rubbed her back. "Bones, you are absolutely amazing."

They held each other for a few minutes and the Booth released. "I almost forgot! I have something else," he said as he pulled a pink box from the one basket he hadn't taken back to the car. "I got you those chocolate donuts from that pastry shop you like so much!"

She smiled at him and he handed her the box. She opened it and they spent the next 45 minutes eating, laughing, kissing, and being a couple.

Their bodies were close; she was practically sitting in his lap looking through the telescope when her body shivered harshly. He rubbed he hands up and down her bare arms and noticed she was still shivering. "Bones, you're cold. We need to get you warmed up. Let me," he started to offer to pack up when she stopped him.

"I'm not ready to go yet, Booth," she protested. "Just let me have your jacket."

He immediately slipped it off and onto her. He got closer to her and took in the scent of her hair. They were both comfortable and relaxed. It was as if they had been together for years.

A bit later, she was still shivering and he decided it was time. He had to get her inside. "Alright, Bones, time to go. It's late, you're cold, and we have to work tomorrow."

"Uh huh," she mumbled. "I'm too comfortable to move." Being that still and quiet for that long had reminded her body of the poor night's sleep from the day before. His presence had relaxed her and in a perfect world she'd stay in that position all night long.

He laughed a little. "Who are you and what have you done with my Energizer Bunny of a partner?" he picked.

"I don't know. . . *yawn* . . . what that means," she had to force the words from her mouth.

He kissed the back of her head and slid out from behind her. He quickly gathered their things and escorted a very tired and very relaxed Bones down the hill and to the SUV.

****

Thirty minutes later he pulled up at her apartment. He walked her up and after several amazing kisses at her door, he was reluctantly ready to leave. "I'll pick you up for work at 7:30," he said. "You sure you can make it to the bedroom?" he teased.

"I can," she said weakly. "Thanks for tonight, Booth. It was amazing."

He smiled. "You're welcome. Get some sleep, lazy Bones!" he said and turned to leave. He heard the bolt lock flip over and the practically skipped down the stairs to his SUV.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – I didn't do too badly with getting this one up. Sad news is, tomorrow it's back to the real world for me until the end of May. I'm still going to do my best to keep updating at least once a week. No promise, though. **

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews on the last chapter. Please continue to let me know what you think. I love getting feedback. **

**Thanks to MickeyBoggs for proofing this and to Thnx4theGum, StefJunkiecat, and FirstofOctober for helping me with the ideas. I promise you that this story has a direction and I know some things may seem slightly slow for now, but it'll get more exciting in the coming chapters.**

**Hope you enjoy this. Have a wonderful week.**

Chapter 5

Brennan and Booth didn't really talk about whether or not to hide the status of their relationship from others. They knew everyone would find out and would be happy for them but Brennan really wasn't ready for an interrogation at the moment. Just as promised, Booth knocked on her apartment door by 7:30 Thursday morning to take her to work since she had left her car at the lab the night before. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for her car to remain at the lab overnight, that in and of itself wouldn't raise any suspicion. Things that would raise suspicion, however, were the grin she couldn't seem to get rid of and the flush that could quite possibly be a permanent fixture on her face.

When she heard him knock she was still barefoot, she hadn't put on her jacket yet and her hair was still slightly damp. She went to the door to let him in. She'd just have to finish getting ready in a few minutes. "Morning, beautiful," he said as she opened the door. He reached in, pulled her into a hug, and then gave her a kiss. "Still being a lazy Bones, I see," he said when he noticed she wasn't ready. She was almost always ready and impatiently waiting for him when he was due to pick her up. "At least you already brushed your teeth," he quipped.

She laughed a little at his kidding. "I hit the snooze alarm a couple of times. I never understood the reason for that button since clearly nine additional minutes of rest isn't really restful, but staying in the warm bed was very appealing this morning."

"Awww, Bones, you don't have an anthropological reason for the evolution of the snooze button and that bothers you, doesn't it," he intentionally tried to get her riled up. He closed the space in between them so that they were almost nose to nose.

"Very funny, Booth," she said and pushed on his chest to create more distance. "Now, since you clearly didn't bring coffee, you could make yourself useful," she said as she headed down the hallway.

He just laughed as she made her way back out of sight. "Don't I even get a goodbye kiss?" he whined as she added distance between them.

She shot back, "You'll make it ten more minutes."

'_God, she's beautiful'_ he thought to himself before heading into the kitchen and starting the coffee.

The pair swung by the drive through coffee shop and picked up yet another cup of coffee each and some carbohydrate heavy breakfast items, donuts for Booth and a bagel for Brennan. He dropped her off at the lab at 8:07 and told her he'd pick her up around 5:30 to go to another one of Parker's baseball games. From the looks of the grey clouds forming in the sky, however, playing a baseball game that evening might be questionable. He'd have Parker regardless. Generally speaking, Rebecca made appointments during his baseball games at least once a week. She had sent him an email telling him that she did indeed have a dinner meeting with a client and wouldn't be able to make the ballgame. Booth was okay with it. She made it to most games and she was a good mom to Parker. She was a terrible ex, but a good mom. There was a difference.

"I'm glad you don't eat those onion bagels, Bones," he said after giving her another goodbye kiss. "It might make kissing you harder," he teased.

"I'll have to remember that," she said with a smirk as he walked up the steps to her lab. She was happy and content. She wasn't sure anything could bring her out of her euphoric state of mind.

"Don't threaten me like that, Bones," he yelled and she kept on walking glad he couldn't see the smile plastered on her face.

****

As she headed in to the Jeffersonian she expected Angela to be waiting on her and bombard her with questions. She headed into her office and flopped into her chair before seeing the note atop her keyboard. '_Cam is loaning me out to some architectural department to draw schematics of historic residences. I'll be back around 6 and I need details, Sweetie! I can't believe you didn't call me,' the note read. _Part of Brennan considered sending her a text message letting her know she wouldn't be there at 6:00 but really needed more time to decide what to tell her best friend about her new relationship. Cam would refer to it as preparing a Boolean flow chart but in actuality it was just mental preparation.

Thankful for some peace and quiet that she hadn't expected, Brennan spent the morning working on research for some procedural television shows. She honestly couldn't believe that millions of people tuned in every week to see actors portraying scientists solve crimes. Most of the time, too, they would botch the research in order to be able and fit their plot lines in to a 42 minute television show. She personally preferred the more realistic programming on the investigative channels. She hadn't watched them much but at least on the ones she saw, it was clear that DNA samples required more than 20 minutes to analyze.

She finished with one file and decided to check her emails one more time before heading out to the lab to work on the platform. She found several from graduate students asking questions they should have been able to answer on their own after their first anthropology class. She responded to each email accordingly and also suggested they review basic anthropology literature.

She had an email from Caroline Julian reminding her of the trial set to begin on Monday. She and Booth were to report to the courthouse by 9:00 am. She made it very clear that they were to leave their entire day open and should not expect to be able to go gallivanting around the District looking for rotten appendages or anything until Tuesday.

Brennan considered composing a reply informing the attorney that it was rare to find an appendage without a full body but remembered the case in which Parker found the finger in the robin's nest. She also assumed that Caroline wasn't being literal and she didn't want to risk sounding less than highly intelligent.

She finished reading the remaining few emails and was checking her clock when her instant messaging program sounded. It was irrational for a simple computer notification to make her smile, but it did. It was an automatic response from her nervous system. She read his message. "Hey, Bones!"

She responded by typing, "Hi." She knew she probably seemed like a seventh grader but she couldn't help it.

"Stuck here working on paperwork," the messages continued to pop onto her screen. "Need me to rescue you for lunch?" he asked hoping she'd give him an out.

She looked at her desk and saw the remainder of her bagel she hadn't finished for breakfast and realized she wasn't hungry in the least. She needed to get some more work done if she was going to be able to cut out for the ballgame. "No, I'll get something here. I need to work so I can make his game," she typed.

"Standing me up and we've been together less than 24 hours?" he teased.

She began typing a response to let him know that she had no intention of standing him up and was about to hit send when she received another one. "I'm kidding, Bones. Don't worry your beautiful head about it. I'll see you this afternoon."

"I understand. It is quite hard to detect humor and sarcasm via messaging programs. That was funny," she hit enter. "Any word on the status of a weather delay for the game?" she asked

"No, but if I hear something I'll let you know," his line of text popped onto her screen. "I love you, Bones," was his final response.

"I love you too, Booth," she responded and was so surprised that she was able to type that so easily. It should have troubled her but it didn't. It actually felt good. They were officially a couple, boyfriend and girlfriend as she remembered it being called during middle school.

****

"Sorry, your game got rained out, Parker," Brennan said as she walked through the door off Booth's apartment. Booth had called her around 3:30 to let her know that they had indeed canceled the games for the evening. He invited her over for dinner and 'quality time' as he called it. He offered to order some take out but she told him she had a better idea and would meet him at his apartment around 6:00. She was right on time as usual.

Parker was extremely energetic, "That's okay, Bones," he chirped. "Dad says we can play Mario Sluggers and teach you how to play. He said you aren't very good at video games," he was attempting to dig through the bags she held, one on each arm. "Is there any pie in there, Bones, 'cause I love pie."

"Looks as if impatience is carried on the Y chromosome," she said as Booth walked into the room. "Parker you will have to wait to find out what I brought."

"Hey, Bones," Booth said as he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Parker, let Bones come in, alright. Those bags are as big as she is," he commented as he reached into take one of the green, eco-friendly bags. "You know, Parks," he took the opportunity to teach a lesson in chivalry. "Gentlemen offer to help women with heavy things, especially when that lady is a beautiful forensic anthropologist."

"Oh yeah, Bones, I almost forgot," Parker said as he jumped onto the couch with a thump. "Dad said that you guys kissed and are boyfriend and girlfriend now," he seemed to be experiencing the symptoms of increased blood sugar. "I think that's pretty gross except for it's cool that it's you and dad so I guess it's okay. Plus, you're cool and not like some of the chicks that some of my friends dads' kiss. They wear ugly clothes and stuff."

"Whoa, now, Parks," Booth intervened. "Calm down," he placed the bag he was carrying on the counter and began to peek. He was almost successful when the top of his hand suddenly burned with pain from a slap from Brennan.

"Oww," he whined. "Come on, Bones. I'm not a little kid. I should be able to know what you're cooking," he pleaded.

"Sure you are, Booth," she said very sarcastically. "Now, get out of the kitchen or we'll never get to eat."

Thirty long minutes later, Booth realized what she was cooking. The amazing aroma filled his entire apartment. "Oh my god, Bones, are you for real?" he chimed from the living room.

"Booth, you informed me yesterday that your doctor had cleared you fully and that you would no longer experience any hallucinations so I am in fact real," she replied, clearly confused at his use of the phrase for real.

He laughed at her confusion and said, "I know you're real, Bones. Believe me! I just meant did you really make Mac n Cheese because it smells amazing."

"Oh," she said when she realized the question. "I did. I thought you and Parker would enjoy it."

He planted a huge kiss on her and when he allowed her to breathe again, said, "He will love it, Bones. He's my child. He has good taste."

"Uh huh, why don't you and Parker go set the table?" she said as she pushed him toward the small dining area.

"Pushy, pushy," he protested as he rounded the corner but popped his head back around. He said very quickly, "But I like it!" hoping that some spice container didn't come spiraling at his head.

****

"Bones, that, that was amazing," Booth said as he rubbed his stomach. "Parker, help Bones load the dishwasher."

Brennan who was already standing and heading toward the kitchen bent down and whispered in her partner's ear. "Better than sex?" she asked.

Booth face grew red but he managed to override his prudish nature and grabbed her by her head bringing her cheek to his. "I don't have enough evidence, as a wise scientist always tells me, to formulate an opinion."

"Oh you will," was her reply as she freed herself from his grasp and headed toward the kitchen. "I'll clean it all up, Booth. You and Parker go ahead and play. He only has two hours before Rebecca comes."

Parker looked at his dad with a very contemplative look on his face. "Dad, can we keep Bones?" he asked. "She nice and pretty and you like her," he went on.

"Parker," Booth answered as he stood and tousled his son's hair. "Nothing is ever coming between me and Bones," he said. It was a nice feeling to know that she was his and she was his forever.

"Good," Parker piped up. "Now, can we play Mario Sluggers now? I want to be Bowser."

"Yeah, Bub, we can," Booth told his son. "Just make sure you tell Bones thanks for cleaning up for us when she finishes," he paused momentarily before remembering the one last thing he needed to mention to his son. "Oh, and Parker, let's make sure we hold on to the remote tonight. I really don't want to lose another picture frame to a home run," he warned.

"Yep," Parker practically yelled as he bounded into the living room.

****

"Bones, you don't want to play?" Parker asked. He couldn't imagine how someone would have the opportunity to play on the WII and choose not to participate.

"No, Parks, I don't really understand video games," she explained as she dropped to the couch with a thud. "Besides, I'm really tired so I'm just going to watch today," she thought for a second and studied the 8-year-old's disappointed face. "Maybe we can play next weekend when your dad has you again," she offered.

"Okay," Parker cheered up slightly. "But I want to pick the game," he stated.

Brennan sat on the couch as the Booth men played the ridiculous game of baseball or at least what resembled a baseball game. There were mushrooms that held bats without arms, alligators that used surfboards for bats, and even some type of Magnoliopsida flowering plant that used its sepals as a bat. It didn't make any sense.

After a while, even her overly active brain became bored and she needed something to do. She could have chosen to go home but didn't want to. She liked being there, she liked her family but she just didn't handle idle time very well. "Booth, I'm going to run out to the car and get my new copy of _Anthropology Today," _she said.

"You bored?" he asked.

"I no longer find this video game as exciting as you guys but I'm not bored. I'm comfortable," she told them.

"Want me to get it for you?" he offered.

She considered taking him up on it but she knew he needed to spend as much time as possible with his son. "No, I am quite capable of getting it myself," she argued.

She did manage and within just a few minutes was back in her living room. She chose to sit in the arm chair adjacent to Booth's rather large television since there was a nice lamp that provided just the right amount of light for reading situated above it.

She was two pages into an article about the struggle of former soldiers in the Republic of Congo when it happened. The sounds of the Booth men enjoying the company of each other had lulled her into a trance like state. If she had been paying better attention to them, she might have been able to avoid the situation. She didn't even hear Parker's loud "Oops," as he let go of the controller.

She did, however, feel the impact when the molded white contraption connected with her nose. The force stunned her for a split second and then her hands instinctively went to her nose. It wasn't that painful and she recognized immediately that there were no soft tissue or bone damages. Just as she heard Booth's panicked, "Bones," she tasted the familiar taste of iron. She pulled her hands away and saw the blood. As soon as a few drops hit her pants, she put her hands back up to attempt to stop the flow.

"Parker, go get a couple of towels," Booth ordered. His voice was clearly pained but still calm. "Lean forward, Bones," he instructed and pulled slightly on her shoulders to help her lean forward.

She knew to lean forward but recalling basic first aid procedures was not as simple when she was the subject of the injury. She did manage to mumble slightly despite the blood flowing from her orifices, "I'm fine."

Parker must have come back with the towels because she felt Booth pull her hands down and something soft covered her nose. She then felt him cleaning her hands very gently and he left the towel in her hands to soak up some of the blood. He continued to use the towel to keep slight pressure around her nose with one hand and rubbed her back with the other.

After what she estimated was five minutes, Booth spoke. "Let me check it," he said and pulled the towel down slightly. "Parker, go grab another towel, alright?" he spoke to his son who immediately complied. "Bones, it's still bleeding some but it's slowed down a lot."

She just nodded and let him continue to care for her. By that time, she could process all of the steps he was taking and it made her proud. He was following standard protocol for nose bleed care exactly. Maybe he had more of a scientific side to him than he'd ever let on he had.

After a few more minutes, he pulled his hands away again. She rose up a bit this time and didn't feel any more of the warm liquid flowing down her face and she was thankful. She opened her eyes and looked to Booth.

"Looks like it stopped," he said. "About damn time," he added.

She took an inventory of her condition and found that while a little fatigued, she felt fine. She met his concerned eyes and answered the question she knew was there. "I'm fine, Booth. I . . .I need to wash my face, though," she said.

He nodded concern still evident on his every feature. "Sure, there's . . . uh . . . there's wash cloths in the cabinet by the door," he said and offered her a hand to help her stand. He was afraid she might be dizzy from bleeding like that but if she was, she showed no outward signs. She was pale, more so than normal, but she seemed fine.

He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a soda from the refrigerator, and met her as she walked down the hallway. "Here, drink this," he said. "That has to taste awful."

She nodded and took the soda with her as she headed to the couch. "Hey, Bones?" He called as she drank. "You have blood all over your shirt and jeans. Do you want me to see if I can find a clean shirt or something for you?"

"That would be nice, thanks," she responded and he immediately headed back to his bedroom. It was then that she noticed the younger Booth almost motionless and seated in a chair across from her.

"Parker," she started. "What's wrong?" she asked. She knew the answer to her question. He was a Booth and she knew he likely inherited Booth's strong feelings of guilt and empathy.

He was eight, getting close to nine, but in so many ways he was older. He knew that he shouldn't be upset, that accidents happened but he still had so many insecurities. He'd seen his mom go through boyfriends like some women went through purses. Silly things would drive them away sometimes and to be honest, he never really liked any of them anyway. He probably could have hit one of them with a WII remote and it wouldn't bother him, but this was completely different. He liked Bones. He liked what she did for Booth and he liked how she made him feel. She made his dad smile and she made him feel smart. He wanted her to stay and not leave because of something silly that he did by accident. He couldn't respond when she asked the question, he just shook his head. He really didn't want to talk about it.

She knew he was withholding and she didn't want him to feel the guilt. She stood up and repositioned herself on the coffee table directly in front of him. She could handle children most of the time. She had understood Sean Cook when so many others didn't. She knew better than most about the insecurities faced in childhood. She could help Parker through this. "Parker, I know you probably feel bad because of what happened, but it was an accident. This kind of stuff just happens," she explained.

"Bones," he tentatively spoke. "I made you bleed," he said as a tear ran down his cheek. "You probably won't want to hang around me anymore."

She reached forward and pulled him into a hug. "Parker," she said as she held the boy tightly. "Nothing you can do will make me not want to be around you. I love you and I love your dad," she let him go. "A simple instance of epistaxis isn't going to change that."

She saw him nod slightly but knew he still wasn't convinced. "Parker, you know I love science, right?" she asked and waited for him to nod. "Well, when I was in college, a couple of the chemicals I worked with caused my nose to bleed sometimes and you know what?" He shrugged. "I still love science," she said firmly.

He wasn't completely convinced but he knew she was being honest. He was a good judge of character. He nodded and then asked the burning question, "Bones, what's and epy puh staxus?"

"Epistaxis, Parker," she answered. "It's the technical name for a hemorrhage from the nose."

She could hear footsteps approaching but kept her eyes on Parker until he spoke. "Bones, couldn't you just call it a nose bleed?"

'Like father like son,' she thought as she heard an eruption of laughter from the direction of the footsteps.

"That's my boy," he said with laughter. "Here you go, Bones. It's the smallest one I have." He proudly held up the FBI T-shirt.

"Thanks," she said as she stood, tousled Parker's hair, and headed into the bathroom.

She emerged within a few minutes with a very stern look on her face. "What's wrong," Booth asked when he noted her expression.

"Booth, FBI stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation and NOT Federal Boob Inspector," she pouted. "Please tell me you didn't pay money for this garment."

"Aww, come on, Bones. It's funny and no, I didn't pay money for it. It was a gift and I've never worn it. It's way too small for me," he said and gave her a kiss. He grabbed the bloodied shirt from her hands after the kiss was complete and said, "I'll wash that for you."

She just rolled her eyes. She didn't even want to ask him who would be so immature as to purchase such an atrocious shirt. "I really need to get going," she said. "I'm pretty tired and I have a 7:30 breakfast meeting with the screenwriter for my first book and my publicist in the morning," she walked into the kitchen and grabbed her purse.

"Okay," he said against his better judgment. He was still concerned for her but knew she was telling the truth. She had way too many meetings with those movie people. He was sure it paid well, but he wondered if it was worth the toll it took on her. "Call me when you get back to your apartment," he said as he walked her to the door.

"Alpha male," she complained just before he pulled her in to give her a huge goodnight kiss.

He released and said, "You know you love me and my alpha male self, Bones."

"That I do," she replied. "Bye Parker," she spoke loudly over Booth's shoulder. "I'll be at your games next week," she reassured him as she walked out of the apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N – I suppose only a week is not really a bad delay in updating. It was a long week so I didn't get nearly as much writing done as I wanted. I will try and do better this week. I am still more inspired with this story than the others but I hope to get chaps of those up soon as well.**

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews on the last chapter. I hope you guys are still enjoying this story. It's a little different than my typical stories and I hope it isn't moving too slowly but things will speed up soon. Please continue to let me know what you think about the story – good or bad. Even though I don't withhold writing for reviews, they are always nice to get.**

**Thanks to MickeyBoggs for proofing and to all my other buds for helping me get this story straight and making sure I don't write junk.**

**Enjoy!!**

Disclaimer – I am not associated with the TV show Bones in any way.

Chapter 6

The sound of clicking heels on the cold, hard floor of the lab grabbed Cam and Angela's attention. They had been working on the platform for about two hours. They were trying to piece together an angle of a gunshot entry on a gang drive-by victim. The shooter was already in custody and there were no real questions as to cause of death so Brennan hadn't been needed but the prosecutor wanted to make sure there was no question as to the method of death. There was entirely too much flesh on the body to interest Brennan anyway. The accused murderer was suspected in four other drive-bys and the locals had never been able to pin anything on him. They wanted this one to be a rock solid case.

"Whoa," Cam said. "I'm assuming her meeting didn't go well." The two pair of eyes watched an obviously fuming anthropologist head into her office without even looking toward the platform.

Normally, a game of rock, paper, scissors would follow to determine who had to go and diffuse the situation. Brennan didn't get worked up often and when she did it was usually because of the forensic techs at a crime scene touching her remains or something like that. Angela knew that this time was different. Her best friend was worked up for something else and even if she wasn't they had a lot to talk about.

"You know, Brennan," Angela spoke quietly as she gently pushed the door to her best friend's office open without knocking. "If I couldn't tell you were upset I'd be pissed at you for not calling me after your little night out with Booth, not to mention not calling me yesterday," she made her way to her friend's desk and situated herself in front of her.

Angela took in her Brennan's appearance. Clearly, she'd seen better days. The dark circles around her eyes were darker than when she pulled several all nighters in a row while working hard cases but for some reason, there was a glow about her. The artist considered pushing but let her friend have a few seconds.

After a few seconds, Brennan looked up to her best friend and smiled. "I'm sorry, Ange. I was going to call you last night but was so tired I just went to bed when I got home from Booth's," she spoke very evenly. "Then this morning I had a meeting with my publisher and the screenwriter for _Bred in the Bone's_ movie," she sighed and placed her head directly down on her desk in exasperation. "The screenplay is so unbelievably inaccurate that Parker could have written better. It's ridiculous and I will not allow my name to be associated with such a pile of . . ." she paused not being able to finish the slang phrase. ". . .such a pile of fecal material." Tears began to spill out of her eyes at that point.

Angela walked over, squatted by her friend, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Sweetie," she consoled.

"I know," she said as she pulled a tissue from the box and wiped her eyes and nose. "It's irrational to be so upset. I'll just have to rewrite the case portion of the screenplay . . .by Sunday at 6:00 and then manage to get ready for the official announcement of the movie, but I just haven't been sleeping very well and I'm really tired," she went on. "I should be happier considering that Booth and I are officially a couple now," she said nonchalantly. She had known about the press conference and cocktail party for a couple of months. She just hadn't anticipated all the work she'd have to do last minute.

It took approximately 15 seconds for the statement to register with the artist but when it did Brennan thought she might have to replace the ceiling tiles in her office.

After a few minutes, Brennan had filled Angela in on the events of the past week from medallion to nose bleed. Angela had to wipe a few tears of happiness from her own face as she learned the news. She had always imagined that if her friend and Agent Studly ever hooked up she would be beside herself with giddiness but that wasn't the case. She saw that her friend was happy, secure, and relieved. That gave her a sense of inner joy instead of giddiness.

Angela had seen her friend go through some really painful times, finding her mom's body, getting her family back then losing them again, Booth's kidnapping, her own kidnapping, Booth's un-death, and Zack's betrayal. She also understood that her friend had been through hell as a teenager and as an anthropologist. She didn't know all the details but she knew enough to decide that it was nothing someone as goodhearted as Brennan didn't deserve it.

Brennan had, in a lot of ways, lost faith in the world and in people. She could barely trust anyone. Angela would always feel remorse for guilting her friend into money for the pig and treating he so badly when she didn't want to help. Even she had failed Brennan over the years but Booth had given her joy in her life. She was happy and that made the sentimental artist emotional.

"I'm so happy for you Sweetie," Angela said. "I'm pissed at you for waiting 36 hours to tell me, but I'll forgive you as long as you let me take you for a late lunch to celebrate."

Brennan rubbed some of the tension out of her neck and answered, "I don't know, Ange. I have this script to correct. . ." She was going to protest further when she was interrupted.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, Bren," she thought for a second. "Tell you what, we'll go eat and then you can go home and work on the script. I'm sure Cam won't mind you taking off," she smiled a little. "All that publicity is good for donations to the lab."

Brennan sighed. She knew there was no use in arguing. "I guess so, Angela. Just let me call Booth. I think we were supposed to do something tonight."

"Great! I'll meet you in ten minutes," she said as she headed out of her office. "I just have to grab my purse."

****

It had been almost 24 hours since Booth had seen his girlfriend. She called him to let him know that she would be heading home to work on the script and that she wouldn't be available until after she had finished. At first, he thought she might be blowing him off or having second thoughts but he could tell from the tone of her voice that she was serious.

He'd never admit it but Bones was right, he was impatient and at 8:30 on Friday night, Booth found himself bored to death and missing his partner, his girlfriend. '_Girlfriend,' _he thought to himself. '_I like the sound of that.'_ At that second, he decided he was going to rescue her and take her some food. He knew she'd be sitting at home pulling an all-nighter with the laptop on her lap and empty cup of coffee sitting beside her. She probably wouldn't even take the time to refill the coffee cup.

After running by the coffee shop, he found himself knocking on her door within an hour of deciding to play hero. He took the steps to her apartment in twos not wanting to waste another second and when he reached the door he decided to knock and not let himself in. Almost immediately, Booth heard rustling followed by the click of the lock and then the door opened.

"Booth," she said. "You really didn't have to. . ."

He stepped over her threshold and stopped her mid sentence. "Bones, I wanted to,' he said. "I figured you would be here working on that script without so much as making yourself a cup of coffee."

She started to protest but chose otherwise. "Thanks," she said.

"Alright!" he became excited. "I'll just eat some of these delicious donuts and make sure you have everything you need and then I'll head home." His hands were full so he walked to her table and sat down the box and coffee carrier. She was close behind so he turned around and wrapped her into a big hug.

Brennan couldn't help it, but she nearly melted with exhaustion when his strong arms wrapped around her. He shifted slightly and gave her a long, gentle kiss before returning to the hug. After just a few seconds, she pushed him away a bit.

"Bones," he asked. "What's wrong?" he knew she shouldn't be pushing away from him.

She flopped into one of the dining room chairs before answering his question. "Nothing's wrong, far from it. I am quite pleased with our new dynamic," she said. "It's just if I let you hold me too long, I'll be too relaxed to finish my work and I have less than 24 hours to finish this."

He felt so bad for her at the moment. She was clearly worried and tired. He massaged her shoulders a little bit. "Tell you what, Bones," he said as he continued to rub. "You be a good girl and finish up your homework and I will take you out tomorrow," he kidded.

"Ummm, don't stop," she moaned before responding. "I can't tomorrow night, I have that press conference and cocktail party and my publisher didn't want me to bring a date this time," she explained. Her publicist usually gave her strict instructions about what to wear, how to act, and whether or not she should bring a date. In regards to this event, she got a '_I just want you to be there this time. I don't need any Hollywood paparazzi starting rumors about who you are dating or anything.'_ She hated that she couldn't bring Booth but they would get their opportunity soon enough. Her schedule over the next three months was packed full of public appearances, galas, and book signings.

Booth thought for a second longer. "Well, then, I guess you are going to have to finish your homework early so that you can go out with me tomorrow afternoon before your event," was his offer. He gave her a gentle pat on the back and stopped massaging. He could feel her loosening under his fingers and knew if he kept going much longer she would never finish.

She took a deep breath and grabbed a cup of coffee. "I'll try Booth, I promise I will," she said.

"That's all I can ask, Bones," he said as he sat beside her and took a donut from the box. "That and that you don't sit here and starve to death writing. I am not explaining that to your publicist. She's off the wall," he finished.

"What wall?" she asked

"It's an expression, Bones." He thought for a second, "You know, nutso, kooky, a couple of donuts short of a dozen. Things like that," he attempted to clarify but really couldn't provide an explanation.

"I don't know what that means," she looked very confused. "She doesn't even eat donuts."

"Bones, she's just dark, maybe a bit emo like that kid we thought murdered Breanna Swanson," he went on. "Just pale skinned and that really dark hair with too much eye makeup. She's just kooky." He really couldn't offer an explanation. He just didn't like that she was always ordering Bones around and trying to make her something she wasn't just to sell books.

"My skin is pale?" she asked nervously.

He placed his hand on her thigh, "Your skin, Bones is pale like perfect and her skin is pale like she is afraid to go outside. Yours is just better."

"Thanks Booth," she remarked. His response satisfied her that he didn't think she was kooky because of her skin tone. She stood to go back to the couch just a few seconds later. "I really hate to say this Booth, but I really have to get this done," she looked at him with regret. "I'm only 2 acts in and I have at least 12 more."

He let out a frustrated breath. "Fine, but if you need anything, you give me a call. Just get finished so we can go on our first real date tomorrow," he said as he stood.

"I'll do my best," she said with a smile that told him she'd do everything in her power to finish. She always rose to a challenge anyway.

He gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead and then said, "That's all I ask. Call me when you're done."

****

It had been a really, really long night, but Brennan managed to finish correcting the script and making it as accurate as possible for a two hour movie. She had considered going to sleep around midnight and waking up in a few hours to finish but decided against it. She was afraid if she went to sleep, she wouldn't wake up in time. Through college and graduate school, she always chose to work through and reward herself with sleep after the fact. She knew lots of other students who would leave to take "power naps" as they called them and then never return to study. The resulting grades always reflected their missed time and her persistence.

Finally as the sun began to peek out from the apartment building across the street, Brennan collapsed into her bed. When she closed her laptop she sent Booth a text message letting him know she was going to sleep for a few hours and to let her know what time he wanted to meet for lunch. She was pretty sure she could sleep for days on end but didn't want to miss the opportunity to go out for the first time as a real couple. Sure, they'd had an amazing night when they finally admitted their feelings but they hadn't started the evening as a couple. For some reason, it was important to her to start and finish a date as a couple.

As her lead filled eye lids began to droop shut, her phone vibrated. She managed to reach the small distance to her night stand and check the message. Of course, it was from Booth. _"Sleep tight, beautiful,'_ it read. _'I'll be there at 1. If you are still sleeping I'll wait on you. By the way, I said call me, not text me.'_ She placed the phone back on the cabinet and reclosed her eyes while thinking about the message. It was so . . . so Boothy. He was willing to wait on her and she knew that while he meant it for the day, it referred to their relationship on so many other levels. He had waited on her. He waited on her to learn to live, to learn to care, and to learn to love. She was glad he had.

****

He handed her a simple yellow daffodil as he walked into her apartment. "Ready to go, Bones?" he asked just after he kissed her forehead. He found his lips were developing a fondness for her forehead just like his hand always had for that perfectly sized area on her lower back.

She nodded at him. She'd been out of the bed for about an hour or so. Her sleep had been fitful but she did manage to rest enough to get her through the day. She'd showered, put on skirt and blouse and left her hair curly hoping Booth would like it.

"You look beautiful," he said pulling her in for a kiss.

She managed an indiscriminate, "Hmmmm," before he released and she could actually speak. "I find your features, especially your zygomatic arch and mandibular shape, very visually appealing as well," she said.

"I love it when you use squint speak to compliment me," he said. "Now, let's get going. There is a plate of spaghetti and meatballs at Mama's calling my name."

She thought about explaining to him that meatballs would not be able to call his name but chose not to bring it up. She knew Booth was highly prone to hyperbole and often used it to elicit a response from her. She instead decided to take the conversation in a different direction. "You are actually telling me where we are going this time?" she asked while locking her apartment door.

He laughed a little. "You are grating away at my powers of secrecy, Bones," he pulled her closer to him as they walked. He was surprised when she led them toward the elevator instead of their usual stairs but didn't question it. As short as a 15 second elevator ride was, it was long enough for a kiss and he'd always take a kiss.

****

The afternoon had been wonderful. They had been an official couple at the restaurant and even held hands as they walked through the small gardens near the restaurant. Booth hadn't been as intricate with his planning for this date. He'd just picked a restaurant and then drove them to the botanical gardens. It was a beautiful spring day. Some of the humidity from earlier in the week had let up and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

They walked through the gardens and shared their stories, their lives together. Sure, they knew so much about each other already but they still each had fears, dreams, hopes, and histories they would only share with someone they had admitted they loved.

Brennan looked at her watch a little before 3:30. "Booth," she said. "I hate it, but I really have to go get ready. The driver is going to be at my apartment by 5:40 and I have to get dressed up," she huffed. "It'll take a little while."

"I wish you didn't have to go," he commented. "You still look like you need to rest more," he said as he pulled her into another hug.

"Mmmm," she said as he held her tightly. "I'll be able to sleep tonight when I get back," she let out a little sigh. "Or I can at least try." Her voice was frustrated after several nights of not being able to get comfortable she wanted nothing more than to get a real night's sleep.

"Tell you what," he said with a sparkle in his eyes. "I'll stay at your apartment and when you get home, I'll help you get comfortable and tuck you in." He hoped she didn't think he was being childish or trying to get something from her because he wasn't.

She knew he didn't need to wait on her and she didn't want to be a burden, so she protested slightly. "Booth, you don't have to do that. I'm sure you need to get some rest yourself."

He laughed. He knew the protest was coming. "Bones, just let me do this. No strings attached. You need some sleep and I give great massages," he said as he gave her his best charm smile.

She smiled back not able to resist his efforts. "Fine, but if you need to at any point, go home. I probably won't be back until after midnight or later," she explained.

"I won't need to leave. I'll just camp out on your couch until you get back," he smiled when she finally acquiesced. "Now, let's head back. You have to get all dolled up for the camera," he teased.

"I am not a doll, Booth, and I am certainly not concerned with my appearance in front of recording devices even though I understand that I have many features members of the opposite sex find attractive," she teased back before heading to the car.

****

"I don't like it," Booth said for the fortieth time in the last five minutes. He had been repeating those words since his girlfriend had emerged from her bedroom wearing a very simple, very sleeveless, and very low backed dress.

She rolled her eyes again. "Booth, it is what it is. Those are just the bruises from my little run in with the murderer," she pointed to the darkened areas on her forearm.

"And that one?" he asked as he pointed at a darker one on her upper arm.

"I bumped into one of Hodgins' microscope arms Friday. It's no big deal," she reassured him. "I really just needed you to clasp this necklace for me and then I'll go cover them up anyway. I can't have them showing up in pictures or anything," she sighed a little. "They'd have a field day with that," she said as she headed back toward the bedroom.

"What do you mean cover them up, Bones? Those are way too dark to cover up," he said as he followed her to her bedroom like a lost puppy.

She regretted even saying anything about it. "Don't worry about it, Booth. I didn't mean to open the jar of worms," she said trying to avoid the conversation she knew would probably make her late. It wasn't that she minded Booth knowing about her past it was that she didn't want him feeling guilty for it. She understood that even though he had no way to protect her from what she went through, they didn't even know each other existed; he would still feel guilty for it. It was part of what made him a great man. He felt things and he felt things deeply.

"Bones, it's open the can of worms," he corrected. "And I believe you already did," he said making sure to use a tone to let her know he wouldn't back down until she told him.

She stopped just before her bathroom door and took a deep breath. "Booth, you can probably already formulate a hypothesis as to how I learned to cover them up," she said and paused.

He gave her a simple, worried nod letting her know that he did connect the dots. He knew her foster years were rough, hell-like even. She'd never really told him much but he knew enough. He knew the whole story about the trunk of the car and knew that some families were better than others for her.

"Let's just say that learning to cover up bruises was a coping strategy," she explained. "Jackets only cover up so much and bruises call attention to you. If the teachers questioned it, they'd call my foster parents. That . . . " she grew a little nervous while she was talking. "That would either mean more bruises or they'd make me miss school. School was always important to me. I had learned enough to know that if I missed any days either my grades would drop or I'd have to spend several nights without sleep trying to catch up," she went on. "I just figured that dealing with whatever I had in front of me was a means to an end. I wouldn't be in foster care forever and I could handle it as long as I knew I'd be getting out and could control my own future at that point."

He nodded again. "Bones," he was clearly bothered by her admission even though he knew those years were hard for her. "I'm sorry," he pulled her into a hug. "I promise you that if I'd have been there," he started but she interrupted.

"Booth," she pulled back. "I didn't tell you about it because I knew you'd feel guilty and you shouldn't. That whole situation was out of your control and even mine to an extent. I don't wish that it was changed because it obviously instilled in me a lot of valuable characteristics. I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't wish it on today's youth, but for me, it all worked out," she explained.

"I know," he said. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it and that I won't shoot all of your foster parents if we run into them someday."

"Very funny, Booth," she said as she popped him on the shoulder. "I have to finish getting ready. Isn't there some mindless program on television that will entertain you?" she asked in a light hearted tone.

"I'd rather look at you," he started but was met with the bathroom door. She closed it as she walked in.

He pouted for a few seconds but gave up and headed into the living room to find a hockey or basketball game on her very large television.

About 20 minutes later, Brennan's apartment phone rang and pulled her from her bedroom. She was still putting an earring in her ear but managed to grab the phone. There was a brief silence before she gave a simple, "I'll be right down."

She turned to face Booth. "You look beautiful," he said. "I wish I was going with you." He really did wish they could go to one of her little appearances as a couple but that time would come. He had no intention of ever letting her out of their relationship.

"I know," she said after he gave her another kiss. "You'll go with me to the next one," she promised. "I have to go now," she said.

He nodded before giving her another kiss on the forehead and following her to her door.

****

Booth did just as he had assured her he would do and waited. Her large, probably ancient clock, kept time on the wall and it was almost as if he counted each and every tick in anticipation of her return. He flipped through the channels aimlessly before landing on a basketball game. At some point during the third period he drifted off to sleep on her couch.

He woke around 11:30 and found that all of the lights were still in the same position he had left them and that nothing had changed. Obviously, she wasn't back yet. He went to stand and realized that something had in fact changed. His back was stiff. He rolled his eyes at the failure of his body and stretched out his muscles some hoping he had woken up in time to prevent major issues.

After a few stretches he found that he would be fine, no damage done. It was late though, and he was tired. He considered his options. If he went back to the couch he wouldn't be able to help Bones sleep when she got back. He wouldn't be able to move at all. He cracked the door to the guest room and found the bed covered with some kind of anthropological archive or something. He couldn't imagine what it really was but he had to laugh at how, despite her superior intelligence, his girlfriend was completely typical in so many ways. Her spare bedroom had become a junkroom.

He walked back into hall and decided to take his chances. He headed into her bedroom, removed his t-shirt and settled onto her bed. He grabbed the throw blanket from the foot of the bed figuring climbing into her covers wouldn't be a good thing. As he began to drift into a peaceful but light sleep, her scents inundated him. He knew that he'd be rested when she finally came back and that hopefully he'd be able to help her.

****

Brennan looked at her watch. "2:47," she complained verbally. She was so tired. The event had gone well but was much longer than she expected. The screenwriter and her publicist had taken her edits with the understanding that they be accepted or the filming would not be allowed to start. The press conference part was first with the names of producers, directors, cinematographers, and other positions being announced. She was introduced and only required to give a short speech endorsing the film.

The cocktail party that followed was tedious at best. She had to mingle, to chat, and to be cordial when she wanted nothing more than to crawl into her limo and head home. She regretted that most of the guests were Californians on Pacific Time and didn't realize that it was early in the morning for her. Finally, around 2:00 am the guests started leaving and she settled onto a bar stool with a bottle of water. Her feet were achy from all of the standing in the heels and she felt like a walking zombie even though she knew zombies didn't really exist.

She'd probably only been seated for about five minutes when her publicist approached. "Temperance," she began. "You look tired. Go ahead and head out. I'll finish up here," she said.

Brennan gave her a slight nod and got to her feet and prepared to leave.

"Oh, and Temperance," she stopped her as she started to walk away. "I'm going to get some different makeup samples to you this week. You need a little more color and I know you won't go to a tanning salon," she informed her.

Brennan ignored the statement all together. Didn't her publicist realize that it was after two in the morning and any normal individual would look a little pale and tired. '_Maybe Booth was right,'_ she thought to herself as she headed to the limo. '_Maybe she isn't a typical person.'_

She reached her apartment in about 25 minutes, at just after three in the morning and headed inside. She hated that she'd have to be in court in the morning at 9:00 but took comfort in the fact that Booth's SUV was still outside. He'd kept his word to stick around.

She was quiet as she entered, assuming he was asleep. She dropped her things on the counter and when she didn't find him on the couch, she immediately knew he'd be on her bed. She had unpacked a shipment of ancient roman artifacts sent to her as a gift from a university in Italy she had prepared a curriculum for over the winter so she knew he wouldn't be in the guest room.

She slipped off her shoes as she approached the room so the clicking of her heels wouldn't wake him. She saw him on top of her covers and decided to forgo the typical teeth brushing, face washing, and pajama donning portion of her nightly routine and climbed onto her bed in her dress. She could probably sleep in a suit of armor as tired as she was that night.

"You're home, finally," he said as he felt the bed move.

"Mmm hmm," she said as she settled in.

He cupped her face and gave her a kiss. He was right, he'd had a nice nap and now had enough energy to help her relax and get to sleep. He sat up slightly and wrapped her in a hug. "Turn over," he instructed. "Let me work your shoulders some," he said.

From that point, it was as if someone had tapped the first domino. One thing led to another and the couple became intimate. He massaged and kissed her neck and shoulders before working on her legs. She was completely relaxed when he repositioned himself beside her on the bed. He was surprised when she turned onto her side and faced him. He assumed that she had fallen asleep because she never spoke and only gave off the occasional indiscriminate sound as he worked an extra tense area.

What she said next was like something from a dream. "Do you love me?" she asked. It wasn't in a self conscious or uncertain way. It was more as if she was giving him permission or requesting that he take their relationship to the next level.

"Yeah," he said. "Want me to prove it to you?" he followed up.

"Definitely," she confirmed and rolled onto her back.

He wanted this more than anything, he had for years but he wanted to make sure that she was ready. "Are you sure, Bones?" he gave her one last no strings attached opportunity to back out if she wanted.

She nodded. "I've never been more sure of anything," she answered.

That was the only assurance he needed. He had a lot to prove to her that night and he would do everything in his power to make sure it was perfect.

**Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - I didn't get this up as quickly (or even in the same month) that I wanted to. I apologize for the wait. I've been pretty busy and when I have time to write, the words don't want to come. I have less than a month remaining in this school year so hopefully I can devote more time to writing when I don't have 170 eager little minds to teach. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It's a little shorter than my normal and a bit of filler but I hope it's still decent. I expect the next few chapters to be a little more intense than this one but I found a good stopping point and wanted to get something up.**

**Thanks to GCatsPJs and MickeyBoggs for proofing and helping me out with this one and to Junkiecat for making sure I don't write anything stupid.**

**Disclaimer - I don't own "Bones"**

Chapter 7

"But I don't have my original notes," Brennan complained as she and her partner ascended the stairs toward the courthouse.

Booth, who was an unusual 4 steps in front of his partner, stopped and turned around. "Bones, don't be all cranky. Angela is bringing your notes to you and do I need to remind you why we are running late, or do you remember for yourself?" he kidded.

"I remember," was her simple reply as she dragged herself up the steps. She made a mental note to spend a little more time in cardio in the coming weeks. She didn't normally have trouble with brisk walks but she had been neglecting her physical activity regimen for the last few months due to extra heavy workloads and most recently needing all of the rest she could possibly get.

"That's what I thought," he said laughingly. "Now, come on slow poke, let's get into the courtroom before Caroline has both of our tails." He grabbed her hand and dragged her up the remaining stone steps.

"While it's not uncommon for _Homo sapiens_ to be born with tails, I wasn't and after last night I'm sure you weren't either considering the lack of scarring around your coccyx," Brennan said as her partner practically dragged her up the steps. "I'm not sure why Caroline would even attempt to have our," she paused as she noticed the smile filling his face. "Oh, it's an expression," she said dryly. "That's amusing."

He gave her hand a squeeze. "Bones, that's just one of the million reasons why I love you," he said and gave her a slight squeeze as they walked up the final few steps.

****

The morning was long in the courtroom. The case was very cut and dry and all of the forensic evidence was in order. Conviction should have been a given considering all of the evidence. Booth was actually surprised that the suspect hadn't accepted one of the many plea deals offered to him over the past few months.

The defense attorney didn't seem to see what everyone else saw, however, and was putting forth every effort to get his client cleared of all charges. Obviously, he was a new attorney and not used to taking on the best crime solving teams in America. Booth, Hodgins, Cam, Angela and Brennan were all called to testify and he did his best to get under each of their skins, especially Brennan's. The slimy, young attorney did his best to discredit her profession.

Being the foremost authority on forensic anthropology in the county had prepared Temperance Brennan to defend her passion but after answering what seemed like the thousandth question about how the murder weapon could be discerned from a simple nick in the bone or how the angle and degree of a spiral fracture could be used to determine the hand size of the assailant, she was drained.

Thankfully, after her testimony was over the judge called a recess. Brennan and Booth exited the courtroom and sat on a bench. They were quiet for a few minutes. Booth knew she needed a little time since, in essence, her identity had been challenged. For many years, forensic anthropology was what identified her. It wasn't true any longer since she could be identified as a friend, mentor, lover, and family member but challenging her profession was what Booth would equivocate to making fun of someone's mother, fighting words so to speak.

They sat in silence, holding hands. The silence was interrupted by a certain best friend who had exited the courtroom on a mission. "Brennan," she called from a distance as soon as she located the pair. Her tone was a mixture of excitement, frustration, and curiosity. "Why on earth didn't you call me this morning?" she began to talk faster. "If I had known what happened, I would have brought the copies of the notes myself instead of sending them with Hodgins," she finished. She had only arrived at court twenty minutes before her testimony but had made sure that she sent everything Booth had asked that morning. "I knew it the second I saw you, Sweetie. This is big. . . no this is huge."

Brennan pulled her head up from where she had leaned back against the wall and answered. "Angela, I have no idea what you are talking about. Booth called you about my notes. I had no reason. . ." Her answer was interrupted by the artist.

"Don't give me that, Brennan," she said and plopped down beside her friend. "Your face screams contentment," she eyed the now-fidgeting FBI Agent. "Yours too, hot stuff," she started to address Booth.

"Bones, you look like you could use a pick me up," he jumped up and spoke quickly. "I'm going to grab us some coffee. I'll be right back," he said without waiting for an answer or even throwing a look in the ladies' direction.

Brennan was confused at her boyfriend's sudden departure but decided to let it slide. "Angela," she said questioningly. "I really don't know what you are talking about."

"Seriously, Bren," she said. "It's obvious to me and probably the rest of the courtroom that you and Booth _**finally**_dropped the 'just partners' line and had sex. It's about time," she was again speaking very quickly. "Now, I need details about everything," she pleaded.

Brennan took a deep breath. She'd never had a problem giving her friend details in the past but this time was different. "Angela," she said very softly. "I always claimed that sex was just a biological process and I never understood why Booth was such a prude," she explained. "But now. . . now, it makes perfect sense and I don't think it would be right for me to tell you about it," she said.

"Oh, come on, Brennan," Angela whined. "Give me something. I haven't waited almost six years for this to get nothing."

She thought for a moment before speaking. "Let's just say that I learned the difference between making love and sexual intercourse last night and that Booth is quite proficient at both."

Angela was a little disappointed that her friend didn't want to share details of her mind blowing encounter but she was at least happy that her friend had experienced something great. Maybe she'd manage to get her a little tipsy sometime and get some details out of her that way, but for the time being, she'd have to take what she could get. She opted to leave things alone and they continued to talk for a few moments while waiting on Booth to return with the coffee.

Booth gave the ladies a few minutes and then he bought three cups of coffee before heading back to the benches where he'd left the ladies to talk. As he approached, he was completely shocked at what he saw. His partner, his girlfriend, was standing and releasing what seemed like months of frustration on Caroline Julian's new intern. As he approached he could finally hear what she was saying.

"Do not instruct me on how to address juries. I have done this more times than you could probably count and I am the foremost authority in my . . ." She was going to explain how a mere prosecutor's assistant had no authority to challenge her expertise when she was interrupted by that prosecutor herself.

"Calm down, Cherie," she chimed as she approached. "Don't get your panties in a wad. My assistant here is just eager and wanted to make sure you understood that if you are asked to return to the stand that you do not use words that are too complex for a person without twelve degrees," she explained.

Brennan was clearly frustrated and turned to Booth who had just situated himself next to her. "I understand how to deal with juries," she spoke directly to her partner and waited for him to give her a nod before she went on. "I'm not sure what my selection of under garments has to do with anything, Caroline," she said. "Besides, 'wadding' is not normally an issue with thongs," she said.

"Whoa, Cherie!" Caroline was clearly embarrassed by the mention. "I did not need to know that," she said and then studied the partners in front of her.

"Bones," Booth whispered. "It's just an expression. It means getting upset."

"Oh, well," Brennan said nonchalantly. "That is clearly a more logical explanation than Caroline being concerned as to the impact of my undergarments on my testimony."

Caroline watched the interaction from just a few steps away. She immediately noticed the difference. "About time you two smartened up a little bit," she said.

Booth and Brennan's eyes both looked at the prosecutor. "I don't know what that means," Brennan said. "Obviously, my intelligence was formed during my early years of development and can't be changed . . . "

"Bones, she figured it out," Booth interrupted.

"That's right, Cherie," Caroline said. "You two love birds go ahead and head in the courtroom so you'll have time to hold hands before the judge and jury come back in. I don't need any public displays of affection between two key witnesses," she ranted. "That's just what I need, mistrial because of PDA," she mumbled as she walked away and everyone stood to head back into the courtroom.

****

Court finally wrapped up and after a celebratory dinner with the team at The Founding Fathers, Booth drove Brennan home. Neither of them wanted to stay in separate apartments, but they both knew they had to for the night.

"I really wish you didn't have to leave," Brennan said in a slightly girlish tone.

Booth grinned, pulled her in for a hug and placed a gentle kiss in her hair. "I know, Bones," he said. "But I have to go over to Quantico in the morning for in-service on interrogation techniques and I don't have clothes or anything here."

"You are already an expert at interrogations. I can't imagine that they could possibly teach you anything about that," she stroked his ego a little as she spoke.

He pulled her in for another kiss. Obviously, her ego stroking worked. When he released her, he spoke again. "I know, Bones, but there's no getting out of this one. We all have to go."

She placed her head on his strong chest and just nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow night?" she asked.

"Absolutely," he responded. "Now, go get in bed," he ordered. "I want my partner well rested. I have plans for us for the rest of the nights this week."

She just laughed and stood at the door as he backed away. When he reached the stairs and left her sight, she closed the door, secured the deadbolt, and headed for her own bedroom. She hadn't realized how long a day it had been, but she was very tired and quickly donned her pajamas and snuggled into her now cold bed. She wished he was there with her and at that very moment decided that she had finally found a reason for marriage. If it meant a guarantee of comfort and security every evening for 30 or 40 or 50 years, it would be worth the commitment.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N – Sorry for the long delay on this chapter. I knew it would be a while before I updated it. I really wanted to get it up before the 100****th**** episode and the finale for obvious reasons. I hope to update more regularly now that I'm off for the summer. **

**If you've been reading this story from the beginning, I hope you are still enjoying and still around to read. If you are new to the story, thanks for checking it out. **

**Thanks for all of the reviews so far. I never withhold stories because of a lack of reviews, but they do make me happy. Please continue to let me know what you think, good or bad.**

**Thanks to GCatsPJs, JunkieCat, and Thnx4theGum for helping me with ideas and to MickeyBoggs for proofing this. **

**Enjoy!**

Disclaimer – I don't own Bones.

Chapter 8

The morning wasn't moving quite as quickly as the normally patient Temperance Brennan would have liked for it to move. She had spoken with her partner, now her boyfriend, early that morning as he was on the way to Quantico and she was already immersed in a set of remains the Italian government wanted her to authenticate. The conversation had been very brief but they did go ahead and schedule a date for later that evening. It would be nothing fancy, just dinner and a movie, but it was still a date. The thought of it brought a simple smile to her face. She checked her watch and found it was only 9:15 and she went ahead and started a mental countdown until the time she would be able to see Booth. He was to pick her up around 8 pm at her apartment. Too bad she hadn't had the opportunity to snap out of her reverie when a certain prying forensic artist entered the room.

"Someone looks happy," she said in her playful voice.

Brennan immediately tried to play dumb. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Angela. I was simply preparing to measure the angles of the pelvic arch on this set of remains. They were discovered deep in a catacomb below the city of Rome."

Angela tapped the table in front of Brennan with her pen. She knew it would drive the anthropologist crazy. "Cut the crap, Brennan. I know you and you don't smile when you measure the pelvis of a dead guy."

"Female," Brennan interrupted.

"Whatever," Angela snapped back playfully. "It doesn't matter. The only thing that would make you smile like that would be measuring the pelvic angles of a certain FBI Agent."

"Angela!" Brennan said as a flush rose on her cheeks.

Angela just laughed. She'd finally managed to embarrass her friend. "Oh come on, Sweetie. Lighten up a little bit. Have a little fun. It's not a crime, you know."

Brennan was preparing to argue that even though obesity was inadvisable it was not a crime when her cell phone began to shake harshly against the metal table. "Saved by the bell," Angela remarked but it went entirely unnoticed by the intended recipient.

"Brennan," was her simple salutation when she realized she didn't immediately recognize the phone number on the display. Angela listened as her friend talked. She completely expected there to be another case and since Booth was unavailable that day, they'd likely be working with Perotta.

Brennan listened for a few seconds. "How high?" was her first question. After a few more waiting seconds she asked, "His mother couldn't be reached?" She nodded and a look of concern grew on her face just before she gave a simple, "I'll be there in 20 minutes."

The combination of words and her friend's reaction puzzled Angela. She asked the obvious question. "New case?"

Brennan was already standing and tidying her station a bit and didn't give her friend her focus as she answered. "No, that was Parker's school. He is running a 102 degree fever and Rebecca is in Pennsylvania for the day and Booth is stuck at Quantico. I'm going to go pick him up and evaluate whether or not he needs to be seen by a physician. Although," her tone became a little more insecure as she said the next phrase. "I'm not exactly sure what to do with an ill child."

"Sweetie," Angela stepped in and gave her a hug. "Just lay on the couch with him and rub his back if he wants. You'll know all about the sciencey side so you'll have that down pat. Just be there for him. He loves you to pieces so just love him back."

Brennan pulled out of the hug. "Thanks, Ange," she said and turned to head toward her office. "Can you tell Cam I'll be gone the rest of the day?"

"Done," was all Angela said.

As Brennan head toward her office she thought about her friend's words. '_Love him back_,' seemed so simple but so hard. She didn't know exactly what to do but she knew she could try.

* * *

The visit to the school was awkward to say the least. The anthropologist had shown the appropriate ID and was quickly ushered to the darkened, small nurse's station. The nurse met her at the door and explained that Parker had been rather lethargic all morning and had complained of a headache, sore throat, and stomach ache. Brennan, being her typical self, was quick to point out that the school nurse's medical knowledge was less than stellar. The lack of knowledge became very obvious when Brennan asked if the young nurse had observed any swelling or purulent exudative coatings on his tonsils. Clearly the nurse had a limited vocabulary and didn't understand. The uninhibited anthropologist quickly explained that non-medical professionals would refer to this condition as pus on the tonsils. It was clear that Brennan herself would have to determine if Parker needed to visit his primary care physician on her own. She gave the nurse a few more choice words about returning to nursing school or enrolling in some continuing education classes in order to have the knowledge required to provide quality care to school children. The nurse was speechless and Brennan quickly focused her attention on the younger Booth.

"Parker," she said gently. He had his head down on the student desk in the nurse's station and appeared to be sleeping. She placed her own hand on his forehead and was alarmed at the heat being emitted from the 8-year-old. "Parker," she said again.

He gently lifted his head from the desk, "Bones?" he questioned. His voice was weaker than normal and she immediately felt her stomach twist slightly as she saw how poorly the boy must feel.

"Hey, Bub," she responded and knelt in front of him. "Your dad and mom are both tied up today so I'm going to take care of you. Will that be okay?" she asked knowing he didn't really have a choice.

He gave her a very slight smile. "Did you get a TV?" he asked before resting his head back on his arm while keeping one of his eyes focused on her.

She laughed a little. He was so much like his father. "Yeah, I did," Brennan said before getting back to business. "Now, let me check you over a little so we can decide if you need to go to the doctor or if we can just head home."

Parker was clearly exhausted but he mustered the energy to form a protest. "I just want to go to sleep, Bones. I don't want to go to the doctor."

"Parker," Brennan felt she needed to explain her actions to him. "If you have a bacterial infection of some sort, you will need a short course of antibiotics to prevent the infection from becoming more serious," she said as he gave her a blank, apathetic stare. "Now, sit up and let me look at your throat."

* * *

Finally after three and a half hours of running around most of Washington DC, Brennan managed to open the door to her apartment and practically carry in a bag of supplies and a very cranky, very tired Parker Booth. "Go lie on the couch," she said. "The remote to the television is on the table. I'll be in there in just a few minutes with something for you to eat, some medicine, and a blanket," she instructed and the little boy just nodded and headed directly for the couch.

She watched as he plopped onto the couch and immediately buried his head into one of her throw pillows. She made a mental note to disinfect her apartment after Rebecca picked him up that evening. She had managed to get in touch with both her and Booth and found that it would be around 8pm before either of them would be able to pick him up. She felt bad for Parker. He'd really been a trooper through the day. She had determined that he would need to go to the doctor and she was able to get him squeezed in almost immediately. He'd handled the strep test and finger prick in stride and within a few minutes, they confirmed that he had a nasty case of strep and would be out of commission for a couple of days. They then headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things and get his prescriptions filled. She was surprised she hadn't had more trouble getting medical care for him but apparently, Booth or Rebecca had added her as a medical contact about a year ago since neither of them had family in the DC area.

She did exactly as she had told the little boys a few minutes earlier. She quickly managed to make Parker a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and got him a glass of juice before returning to the living room with his medicine. "Parker," she said as she put down the tray and sat on the coffee table just in front of where the little boy was trying to sleep on her couch. "You need to sit up, try to eat something, and take this medicine," she instructed. She had measured his antibiotic and some children's Motrin and had them ready to go on the tray. Parker didn't answer at first so she tried again. "Come on Parker," she said. "I know you don't feel well but let's get this over with and you can get some sleep."

This time, the little boy just shook his head. '_He's as stubborn as his father,'_ she thought to herself. "Parker," she said in a slightly more stern voice. This time, she gently reached around him and physically sat him up. "Up you go," she said.

She was met by a few what she would call pre-adolescent grumbles but he finally complied. "Here you go," she said as she handed him each of the medicine cups. "Eat your sandwich and then we can turn on a movie."

"Will you watch one with me?" he questioned weakly.

Brennan thought about it for a few seconds. She certainly had many things she needed to get done but she was still so tired and couldn't seem to get her stamina back from her cold or flu or whatever type of infection she'd battled over a week ago. She also knew that part of being in a stable relationship with someone was making sacrifices and Parker was such a big part of Booth that spending time with him and rubbing his back when he was sick would be helping Booth. She also remembered what Angela said about loving him. She knew what it was like to be sick and have no one there for you. She didn't want Parker to feel the way she had. It was a hard decision and went against her natural tendencies but she gave him a very simple answer. "Sure. Just let me get changed. Go ahead and finish eating."

Parker nodded and she headed toward her bedroom to get out of her heels and into something more comfortable. She assumed that her date with Booth would have to be canceled that evening so there was no reason for her to stay dressed up. Booth would still be there around 8:00 but Rebecca might be as late as 10:00 depending on when her meeting in Philadelphia finished.

It was probably only about five minutes or so when Brennan returned to the living room carrying a few pillows and a throw blanket to find Parker still sitting up, head leaned on the back of the couch, and a half-eaten sandwich placed back on the tray. "How do you feel?" she asked. It seemed like a stupid question but she knew it was socially acceptable.

"My head hurts," he whined without moving at all.

"I know, Buddy. I'm sorry," she felt her stomach twist again when she realized that she couldn't fix him yet. She sat beside him, spread the blanket over his legs and put her arm around him. She turned on the television to a station she didn't recognize but was currently airing programming that consisted of computer aided graphics and limited amounts of plot lines. She sat for a few minutes and studied the boy. He was clearly uncomfortable and she wanted to help. It was probably instinctive and she could most likely explain her reactions with her natural female hormones but she couldn't stop herself from lacing her fingers in his hair and begin to gently message it. She knew it was a very maternal reaction and she didn't mind it. She felt like she was a part of a family and she liked the feeling. It only took a few minutes for Parker to fall asleep and a very content anthropologist wasn't far behind.

* * *

Seeley Booth took the steps to his partner's apartment. He was slightly nervous. It was now 7:55 and he hadn't talked to Brennan or Parker since 4:20. When he'd called she sounded sleepy but assured him that everything was fine. She was monitoring Parker's dosage of Motrin like a true squint and with the medicine his fever was hovering around 100 degrees so he was resting more comfortably. She'd put a smile on his when she told him she'd be making macaroni and cheese for dinner. He had immediately told her that she was spoiling him by making it twice in less than a week. She simply explained that the soft consistency would be easier for Parker to swallow since his throat was so tender but Booth could see straight through her. She wanted to make her famous Mac n Cheese, he could hear it in her voice.

He tried calling again when he managed to finagle his way out of the training about 30 minutes early but she hadn't answered. As he practically ran down the hallway, he was thankful that he didn't smell smoke and the building was clearly in one piece. He had full confidence in Temperance Brennan but he knew that she lacked confidence in herself when it came to children. He also knew his son and knew that he could smell fear from a mile away. He laughed a little at the thought. '_Note to self – don't use that phrase around Bones. She won't get it. Wait, maybe I should use it around her. God, she's beautiful when she has that confused look on her face.' _

Booth approached the door and considered knocking but opted to just use his key. In a lot of ways, it was his home. '_Home is where a person's loved ones are and where they want to be and I DEFINITELY want to be here,'_ he thought to himself. He wanted to be there, sure, but he wasn't prepared for his heart to melt as soon as he opened the door.

The first thing that registered was the smell that wafted through the doorway and into the hall. That, in and of itself, would have been enough to melt him into a pile of mush, but what he saw when he crossed the threshold did him in. His girlfriend and his son were curled underneath a blanket on the couch, both of them, clearly, sleeping soundly. He stopped dead in his tracks and just looked on for a few minutes. Other than him, Booth had never seen Bones allow someone to invade her personal space that much. Parker was propped against Brennan's chest, her armed wrapped securely around him. Her feet were stretched out in front of her on the coffee table and her bare feet were poking out of the blanket. Her head was leaned back on the back of the couch and he hated to wake them but he knew that she'd have a sore neck and heaven sent macaroni and cheese would go to waste if he didn't.

He walked toward the pair after a few more seconds of stalker-like staring. He sat very close to Brennan's legs on the coffee table. "Hey guys," he said. "Bones . . .Parker. Wake up. We need to get some food in you too before you turn in to Rip Van Winkle and her trusty side kick.

"I don't know what that means," was Brennan's sleepy and almost automatic response. She lifted her head slowly and raised her arm to massage her neck a little bit.

"Uh huh," Booth kidded a little. "Told you sleeping on couches can do a person in."

"I'm fine," she said and glanced at her clock. "You're early."

He laughed a little bit. '_Leave it to Bones to be thinking about time and math before she's even really awake,'_ he thought. "How's Parker?" he asked.

She rubbed stretched a little and pulled her legs down from the table and stretched a bit. '_Maybe Booth was right about sleeping in weird positions making a person stiff,' _she thought but didn't want to mention to Booth. She went straight to what was important, Parker. "He's doing better. The Motrin is helping with his fever and headache. I gave him his first dose of antibiotics earlier and he'll need it at bedtime. He'll need some Motrin then too," she finished.

"How are you?" Booth asked.

She rolled her eyes a little bit. "I told you being lethargic and sleeping the day away makes you more tired than if you had participated in intellectually stimulating activities."

He leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I can think of some intellectually stimulating activities we could do," he said when their lips parted.

She laughed a little bit. "I'm pretty sure that would wake Parker up and Sweets would probably tell you that while he made it through the finger in the nest incident unscathed, that might scar him for life," she said as she stood. "Now, wake up your son and I'll get the Mac N Cheese ready."

"You," he called as she walked away. "Are cruel but I think I'll keep you."

She sighed. "Keep indicates that I am your possession," she fussed. "Clearly, I am in a relationship with you voluntarily."

"I love you too," he called and then focused his attention back to his still sleeping son.

**To be continued. . . hopefully very soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N – So the wait wasn't very long for this one. I don't even have to apologize. I've actually already started the next chapter too. Hopefully it will be up early next week at the latest. I'm working on the other stories as well, so keep an eye out for those.**

**That being said, I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I appreciate the reviews I have received from this story but I have to say that the number I have received is so much lower than what I am used to receiving. It has kind of made me nervous that this story isn't as high quality as my other stories. I never and will never withhold writing because of lack of reviews but they are always nice. Just let me know what you think positive or negative. **

**I know this story may seem a little slow but I can promise that some things are going to come into light in the next couple of chapters that will clear things up for you guys a bit. **

**Thanks as always to GCatsPJ, Thnx4theGum, JunkieCat, and MickeyBoggs for the help with this chapter. You ladies are the best.**

**Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review so you can stroke my ego.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones. I just watch it._

Chapter 9

"Hey Seeley," Rebecca said as her former boyfriend and father of her child opened the door to Brennan's appointment.

Booth gave her a smile and opened the door a little wider to let him in. "Hey Rebecca," he replied. "Trip home was okay?" he asked.

She gave him a sigh. "Yeah, it was fine. I just hated that I wasn't here for him. You know how he can be whiney and grumpy when he gets sick," Booth just nodded. He'd stayed with his son through his share of ear infections and colds. "How is he?" Rebecca asked as she looked toward the couch and saw two sleeping forms. "Did he wear her out?"

"He's doing better," he said. "From what Bones said, he was pretty miserable when she picked him up but she kept Motrin in him and that helped. He's mostly just been sleeping but he did wake up and eat some dinner," he explained. "And nah, he didn't wear her out. You just have to know Bones. She's nonstop all the time and I think she just seized the opportunity to crash," he smiled a little when he thought about his overworked girlfriend.

"Well, at least she has you to take care of her," she said and immediately noticed Booth's confused look. "Parker told me the two of you finally 'hooked up'. I'm happy for you Seeley," Rebecca said. It was true. She knew that he loved Dr. Brennan and knew that Brennan loved him back. She knew it the day that the anthropologist asked her why she told Booth no all those years ago. Brennan's concern for Booth was evident and the type of concern that only came with love.

"Yeah, we've been tiptoeing around each other for years," Booth responded. "It's nice that we can actually be together. Timing had to be right, you know," he went on partially confiding in his ex lover. "My tumor kind of put a twist in things but now there's nothing keeping us from being happy."

Rebecca took a step forward and hugged him. "I'm really, really happy for you Seeley. You deserve to be happy and Parker deserves a father who is happy," she said.

"You do too, Rebecca," he echoed before releasing her. "Let me wake the two of them up so you can get him home. You sure you can stay with him tomorrow?" he asked.

"I've already missed enough," Rebecca replied. "I'll take care of him. If he still needs to stay home on Thursday, I'll let you know. Looks like his ball games for the next couple of days are going to be cancelled anyway. I saw where it's supposed to start raining again overnight and stay that way for a while," she continued talking as they packed up his things.

"Parker, come on buddy, wake up so we can get you home," Booth said as he shook his son slightly.

"Mom?" Parker questioned as he sat up. Brennan still didn't move.

Booth helped his son stand from the couch and Rebecca shot him a very big, very compassionate smile. "I'm here now, baby," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here today." She wrapped her son in a really big hug.

Parker looked at his mom as she let him out of the hug. His voice was still weak but he was more alert than he had been earlier. "It's alright mom, Bones rubbed my back and stuff. Dad, I even got her to watch Phineas and Ferb but I don't think she got it," he said.

Booth had to pry a little bit. "Bones watched Phineas and Ferb with you? What else did you guys do?" he asked. He had pretty much assumed that Brennan, as good hearted as she was, would have watched over him carefully while working on her book or reading some journal or something.

"Yep, she watched it," he said and had to clear his throat a little bit. "We mostly just laid on the couch. We slept a lot. Can we go home now, Mom? I want to go back to bed."

"Sure, baby," Rebecca replied. "You okay?" she asked.

The eight year old shrugged his shoulders a little. "My head is hurting again," he said.

Booth put his hand on his little boy's forehead. "You still have a fever little man," he said and turned his attention to Rebecca. "Bones said he'd need more Motrin and his antibiotics before bed."

Rebecca nodded. "Thanks, Seeley. Tell Dr. Brennan I said thank you."

"I will," he said as he walked toward the front door. He followed them out to the car and gave Parker a hug before heading back up to his girlfriend.

* * *

The door snapping shut finally managed to wake Temperance Brennan from her slumber. "Where's Parker?" she asked nervously as Booth walked toward her.

Booth laughed a little. It warmed his heart that she was so concerned about his son but he found her automatic response a little amusing. "Morning, sleepy Bones," he teased as he sat beside her and pulled her too him planting a kiss in her hair. "Rebecca picked him up just a couple of minutes ago."

"It's not morning," she said sharply. "You didn't wake me up?"her tone switched from sharp to pout.

"I tried, Bones. You were sleeping like a rock," he said.

"I disagree. I'm generally a very light sleeper. I suppose that Parker's sleepiness must have had an effect on my own level of energy," she said very scientifically.

"Whatever, Bones," Booth quipped back with a smile. "Let's get you in bed. It's almost 11. Thanks for taking care of him today," he kissed her on the head. "I'll make sure we take care of you if you ever get sick."

She smiled at him but didn't move from where she was still sitting on the couch. "Booth," she said in a very serious tone. "We need to talk."

Those four simple words sent a chill through Booth's spine. '_Taking care of Parker scared her,' _he thought to himself. '_I never should have let her keep him alone today. It was too much too soon,'_ he said as thoughts spiraled to very depressing places. "Bones," he began to speak but his tone was very shaky.

Brennan gave him a very sweet smile. "I know that look, Booth," she said. "It's not a bad thing. I'm not running anywhere. Have a little bit of faith." She used his words seriously but with a hint of sarcasm.

"I trust you, Bones," he replied. "I was just worried that it was all too much too fast. I mean taking care of Parker can be quite a task."

"He's a good child, Booth. I would have taken care of him even if the change in our relationship hadn't occurred. Don't doubt that. He didn't feel well so he was slightly whiney but he mostly just slept," Brennan explained.

Booth smiled and released a breath he had been holding for a few minutes. "He said the same thing about you."

"He said I was whiney?" she looked a bit hurt.

He laughed again. "No, not that part. He said you mostly just slept."

"Ah," she replied. She was a little relieved. She couldn't recall whining but she did get a little stern with him a couple of times when he wouldn't cooperate about taking medicine or having his temperature taken. "So anyway, we need to talk," she returned to her original line of thinking.

Booth kissed her again. "Okay, so let's talk. The Phillies won last night," he kidded.

"Booth!" she fussed and hit him on the arm.

"Sorry, Bones," Booth said. "What did you want to talk about?"

Brennan rolled her eyes at him. "Well, keeping Parker today was definitely an enlightening experience. I found that my place was not comfortable for him. He had nothing here to do and today he was one sick cupcake," she was mid sentence when Booth interrupted her.

"Cookie," he said.

"Whatever. As I was saying, if he had been healthy and I happened to have him, it wouldn't be comfortable for him. My accountant has been advising me for years that I need to solidify some of my assets anyway so I put a call into a realtor he recommended and she emailed me a few estates in the metropolitan area that would be both a good investment for me and provide the room for parties and, of course, you and Parker," she explained. "Maybe I am wrong in making this assumption but I would assume that we would be spending additional time together now that we are formally in a social contract," she half asked, half stated.

Booth just laughed at her phrasing. Social contract was a phrase she used quite often when she didn't want to admit that someone was dating but knew that they were. It was almost as if she was afraid to call herself his girlfriend. "I would think the word dating would be okay to use in this situation now, Bones. Unless you are ashamed of me," he prodded a little in his teasing tone.

"Of course I'm not ashamed of you, Booth. I'm happy that we made the decision to take our partnership outside of a work relationship. As irrational as it sounds, it's a very freeing feeling," she explained before going on again. "Anyway, as I was saying. The realtor sent me some homes that were in my price range with the amenities that I desired and I have one that I love in pictures and I'm going to go and see it tomorrow afternoon. I'd . . ." she suddenly became slightly nervous about the next few words. "I'd like for you to come and look at it with me," she offered.

Booth thoughts raced at that moment. He never would have imagined that she would have even mentioned something like that so quickly. Of course he didn't want to assume too much too soon. She wasn't exactly asking him to move in with her or anything, not that he would have minded that, but she was asking him to help her with one of the most important decisions she'd ever make, the purchase of a home. To him, it was a big deal. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't respond.

When Booth didn't speak for a few seconds, Brennan became even more nervous. She didn't know if she had moved too quickly or said something inappropriate. "Booth," she said nervously. "You don't really have to come with me. I just thought it would be nice for you to help me make this decision since you . . .you said that you wanted our relationship to last. I don't even have to do this if you don't think it's a wise decision."

"Bones," he pulled her in for another hug. "I would love to go with you. I don't want you to rush into anything. You don't have to base your decision on me but it's really, really great that you want me to be a part of this."

She gave him a smile. "You want to see the pictures?" she asked.

They spent the next 30 minutes looking at the pictures. "Bones, that house is absolutely ginormous," Booth said.

"I'm fairly certain that isn't a real word," she said with a little laugh.

"Oh, it's a word," he teased and then pulled her in for another kiss. "And you are really sure that plasma in the den comes with the house?"

She just shook her head. "I'm sure," she had to push her words through a large yawn. "I asked just for you, but apparently," another yawn, "apparently you can purchase the same or similar models at a store call Best Buys."

"Best Buy," the always willing to correct FBI Agent corrected.

"Whatever," came through another yawn.

Booth looked at her. She was so beautiful wearing a simple pair of yoga pants and a Jeffersonian t-shirt. "Come on sleepy Bones," he said as he practically pulled her from the couch. "Let me get you in bed before I leave."

"Ummm," she mumbled. "What if I would prefer for you to stay?" That part came out more clearly.

"Then I want to stay," he replied.

Whether it was a part of her insecurities or just something she liked hearing him say, she asked the same question she had asked the last night he stayed with her. "Do you love me?"

He smiled and hugged her as they walked. "More than anything," Booth replied. "Want me to prove it to you?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Brennan said. She was sleepy, sure, but she wanted this more than anything.

**To be continued . . . hopefully very soon!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N – Thanks so much for all of the reviews. I appreciate all the feedback. This story is still a bit lower than the usual number I receive but I enjoy writing this and think it's actually some of my best writing.**

**The next couple of chapters are going to be pivotal to the story. I have already started the next chapter and hope to have it up soon. I planned on going further with this chapter but it was getting very long and this seemed like a good place to stop. Just stick with me and continue to let me know what you think.**

**Thanks to JunkieCat, GCatsPJs and Thnx4theGum for their story help and to MickeyBoggs for proofing for me. You ladies are great.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 10

The coarse sound of his cell phone vibrating against Brennan's hard mahogany bedside table woke Booth from his comfortable slumber relatively quickly. Even though it woke him up, he didn't move to answer it. He could hear the pounding of the rain on the windows of her apartment. It had been another magical night of them making love and they had fallen asleep in each other's arms as the wind began to howl and the rain began to fall down. It was definitely a rainy spring.

"Get that," was Brennan's muffled mumble as she was pulled from her dreams as well.

"No, you get it. I'm sleeping," he argued.

"It's your phone," she mumbled again and wiggled herself out of his warm grasp slightly. "I had the forethought to turn mine off," she teased.

Booth let out a very loud sigh. "Fine," he grunted out. "I'll get it. Booth!" he said rather angrily as he opened his phone.

Brennan quickly returned to her slumber. She could hear one side of Booth's conversation in the distance but she didn't care about it. All that was important to her at the moment was additional sleep.

Frustrated, Booth flipped his phone shut and rolled over. Two weeks ago, a call in the middle of the night about a case would excite him. That meant he could pick up Bones early but now it was 2:45 am and he was in bed with her and didn't want to be anywhere else.

He watched her for a few seconds as she continued to sleep. She was curled up slightly and had turned from her position of spooning with him and was now facing him. One of her hands was under her cheek and her hair was splayed in more directions than he could count. She was absolutely a picture of beauty. He decided they would need to get moving if they were going to get to the crime scene before the FBI Crime Lab did. He rubbed a single finger up and down her bare arms and laughed a little as chill bumps automatically popped up.

She instinctively shifted more toward him without waking. He pulled her in to him and planted a kiss on her head. "Bones," he said softly. "We gotta get up. We have a case."

"Where?" the sleepy anthropologist mumbled without moving in the least.

Booth couldn't help it. He laughed at her a little bit.

"Don't laugh at me," she fussed. "I'm sleepy. Now," she popped her eyes open. "Where's the body?"

"About 40 miles away," he replied. "Battle Creek Cypress Swamp out in Maryland. You know, Bones, if you'd rather me have the FBI Techs retrieve this one, I'm sure they'd be more than willing," he teased.

"I'm awake," she immediately became more alert.

"You are so predictable," he said as he climbed out of bed and walked around to her side. "Out of bed, lazy Bones," he kidded and pulled the covers off of her.

"I'm not lazy but you are definitely mean," she said as she worked on the daunting task of getting up. She couldn't seem to get a handle on her energy level and it was beginning to concern her slightly. She stood up and stretched her stiffened muscles.

He immediately noticed her slowness and the lines of discomfort on his forehead as he was pulling on his blue jeans. "What's the matter, Bones," he asked.

Brennan wasn't happy that she had allowed him to notice her own lethargy. She didn't mind as much as she would have years ago but she knew he wouldn't like it and would question her about it. "Nothing really," she responded. "just a little bit achy. I'm sure it's just my decreased energy level yesterday or maybe my allergies are acting up in response to the weather change."

Booth hugged her. "You're sure you aren't coming down with what Parker has?" he worried.

"I'm sure," she responded. "The incubation time for strep throat is longer anyway. I'll be fine once I'm up and moving."

"Maybe you're just getting old," he teased and smacked her on the rear end as she headed into the bathroom to get ready to go to the crime scene.

* * *

Over two hours earlier, just after midnight, in the midst of a massive thunderstorm, a research scientist from American University had been out collecting samples of planaria. He was extremely surprised when he pulled an ulna out of one of the marshes in one of his sample containers. A typical person wouldn't have recognized it as human but this particular individual had taken multiple courses in comparative anatomy and was able to identify the bone as human and quickly contacted the authorities.

After the hour long drive to Maryland from Brennan's apartment in DC, the rain was still coming down but had slowed to a steady shower instead of falling in sheets as it had been doing just hours before. They had been at the scene for approximately 20 minutes and Brennan had already placed a tarp near the water's edge and the FBI Crime Scene guys had set up plenty of lighting around the perimeter. Currently, on top of the tarp sat one lone ulna waiting for an additional 205 bones to join it.

"I have to get my waders out of the back," she said to Booth. "The torrential rains have most likely disturbed the full skeleton from somewhere in that direction," Brennan explained as she pointed slightly upstream. "We're going to have to go out there and try to find it."

"Bones," Booth protested as she headed toward the SUV to get her larger boots. "Maybe you should wait until daylight or let the FBI techs take care of this retrieval." He knew he was treading on thin ice but he had to say something. "It can't be good for you . . . you know with your allergies and all."

At this moment, Temperance Brennan proved that they would surely be able to handle separating their personal relationship from their work partnership quite effectively. She looked at her partner, "Do not baby me, Booth. I am quite well equipped to determine if there is some type of medical reason why I cannot complete my job and at the moment, I am fine. Now, it's almost daylight anyway, go ahead and put a call in to Hodgins. I'm going to need him for particulates," her tone softened slightly. "Cam has already been contacted, correct?" she asked.

Booth couldn't do anything but nod. He didn't like that she would always choose the search for the truth over her own well-being, but at the same time, he loved it. He'd just keep an eye on her and make sure that she ate breakfast with him when this was all over. He watched as she practically stomped back to the truck for her boots. He quickly flipped his phone open and dialed Hodgins.

* * *

The sun was nowhere to be found but at almost 7:00, the clear indicators that it was morning were clearly there. It seemed that for the time being they had a slight reprieve from the rain but everyone was busy doing their jobs. Booth and Brennan had now been at the crime scene for around three hours and both were wet and frustrated. "Bones?" Booth said as she made another trip from the murky marsh waters to deliver the contents of a mesh bag to the tarp which was quickly becoming covered by the remains of not one but two bodies.

"Hmmm?" was her barely detectable response as she added a tibia to one set of remains and several vertebrae to the other.

"You think you should rest or something?" he asked. He'd been watching her become more and more sluggish with each trip from the marsh.

She stood from her position on the tarp and rolled her neck against her shoulders trying to rid herself of the tension that had been building up to a slight headache. "If I rest now, it'll just be longer before we can shower," Brennan said. She didn't deny the need for rest but she couldn't she had a job to do. "I have almost located all of the long bones except for the metacarpals and tarsals. Both skulls were intact so that should give me something to start on in determining cause of death and Angela will be able to start facial reconstruction. The short bones are probably lost in the silt and so the bottom is going to have to be dredged," she went on. "The first victim is male, late 20s early 30s and the second victim is female, mid to late 20s."

"Here," Booth said as he practically shoved a bottle of water down into her hands. "Drink that," he pretty much demanded.

"I'm fine," she said sharply but truth be told she was exhausted and had battled minor dizziness off and on since waking up. "I just want to wrap this up and shower," her tone was clearly not indicative of her proclaimed fineness. She took a drink of the bottle of water before handing it back to him. "As for cause of death," she changed the subject. "Looks like one of the skulls shows evidence of blunt force trauma from some either square or triangular object."

She handed him back the bottle of water and headed back out into the marsh to finish her job.

* * *

"Alright, Bones!" Booth was overly chipper about the fact that they had finally finished retrieving the bones and could now head back to DC. "Breakfast time! Get your dry clothes from my SUV, change and let's vamoose." It was now just after 9 am and if they hurried they could still get to the diner while the good breakfast cooks were there and he loved the chocolate chip pancakes that Eddie, the main cook, made.. Sure, they served breakfast all day long but no one could flip a pancake like he could.

Brennan didn't argue just stood at the back of the SUV and began to shed the wet, muddy Jeffersonian jumpsuit. She dropped it in a decontamination bag and climbed into back to change into her dry jeans and t-shirt. She emerged a few moments later and Booth, who had already changed, approached her. He was now using an umbrella and instantly invaded her personal space to make sure she was able to stay dry.

"Ready?" he asked.

She just nodded and allowed him to walk her to the SUV. "I just want to climb in a warm shower and stay for an excessive amount of time," she said as she climbed in.

"Not yet. Pancakes first, then shower," he said. "Sleep if you want to and I'll wake you up when we get there."

She didn't need any more prompting; she simply leaned against the window and didn't quite fall asleep but did drift into a relaxed state.

* * *

"So," Angela said as she swiped her card and walked onto the platform. "I planned a little celebration tonight for you guys. 7:00 at Founding Fathers. Everyone is coming. Well, everyone but Sweets. Daisy says he's still out of town and won't be back until tomorrow or something."

"Angela," Brennan's automatic protest began. "I'm not sure that we're going to be able to make it. Booth and I have to meet with my realtor at 4 to look at a house and it's already 1:30 and I'm not even close to cause of death," she said almost pitifully. "I'm really not up to pulling an all night longer today. Booth and I were at the crime scene really early this morning. I'm tired," she finished simply.

"Oh, go take a nap, Sweetie," the artist wasn't giving her any compassion. "You are not getting out of this one. Even Caroline is coming."

"Did you tell everyone that Booth and I are in a social contract?" Brennan set down the bone she was holding and glared at her best friend.

Angela just laughed. "I didn't have to. You two getting together released as much energy as an atomic bomb or something." With that, she decided to leave a very dedicated anthropologist to her work. Her heels clicked as she walked off the platform with a simple, "I'll see you at 7, Sweetie," she said. "Oh, and by the way it's all-nighter."

Brennan never understood the expression "headdesk", but it immediately clicked when she allowed her head to contact the cold metal exam table out of frustration. '_I just wanted to go home and watch some aimless sporting event with a glass of wine and Booth,' _she internally fussed but quickly got back to the task before her. She had about two hours to make some kind of headway on this case. She had two victims on the platform and they had some kind of story to tell and someone, somewhere was responsible for putting them in that murky swamp.

* * *

Approximately an hour and a half later, Brennan found it. She immediately yelled for Cam and Hodgins and speed dialed Booth on the speaker phone. "Hey, beautiful," he said.

"Thanks, Booth," Hodgins said in a slightly goofy voice as he stepped onto the platform. "I didn't think you'd ever noticed."

An obviously not amused Booth sighed audibly over the phone. "Very funny, Hodgins. Don't you have some slime or seeds or something that needs sorting?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Hodgins quipped back.

"What do we have?" Cam said as she approached and heard the interaction. Someone has to rein them in and as director of forensics, she held the reigns.

"Cause of death," Brennan said as she held up the skull of the first victim. "The blow to the head I found at the scene was post-mortem and unique to the first victim," she said. "Cause of death, however, was the same for both victims," she went on. "Here," she went ahead and pointed to the sternum of both victims from where she was positioned between the two exam tables. "There is a distinct pattern on both of the victims' sternums. It resembles a plus sign but clearly the beveling indicates that whatever the object was thrust through the sternal body at such an angle that it would have nicked the major arteries that supply the right side of the heart."Her explanation to that point had been rather dry. The next part, however, choked her up a bit. "Death would have been slow and...and very painful," she forced her mouth to make the statement.

Even though Booth was on the phone he could tell she was upset. "You okay, Bones?" he asked as if no one else was around.

"Fine," she recovered her composure quickly. "I'm going to make a cast of the weapon and maybe that will lead us somewhere," she went back to the case. "Angela can go ahead and have the skulls to begin facial reconstruction."

Cam jumped in at that point. "Great. Hodgins, what's the word on time and date of death?" she asked.

"Still working on some of the insects I found but there were some pods attached to the bones that would indicate the bones were in dry decay by the end of last summer. That would mean the bodies were dumped last winter. I'll have a more specific date in a few hours," he explained.

"Sounds like everyone is happy," Cam said. "We'll meet in the lounge tomorrow at 10 to go over more specifics. That means no one gets too drunk at the little party tonight. Understood?" she was partially kidding but she also knew her staff well.

"Awwww there you go again, Cam. Spoiling all our fun," Angela whined.

* * *

"My accountant and the realtor should be there already," Brennan explained.

Booth cut her a confused glance from his position in the driver's seat. "Why your accountant?" he asked. "I thought we were just looking."

She gave a slight smile. "Well I am prepared to make an offer on the house today if it's what I anticipate it is. It is a very good deal," she was going explain further when he cut her off.

"Hey!" he said excitedly. "Isn't that that big wig senator's house?" he asked.

"Most likely," she responded and lifted her head from where it had been resting against the window to look back at the house he had commented on. "There are some rather affluent people who live in this area."

"Bones," Booth said in a more serious tone. "I hope you don't feel like I'm pushing you to do this or anything." It wasn't like she'd asked him to move in or anything but it felt like such a couple thing to be doing. She'd kept his son one day and it seemed like she was doing something out of obligation to them.

"I'm not, Booth," she protested. "I mean, yes...our relationship is a factor in this decision but truth be told, I need to invest in something," she went on. "I have trusts set up for all my loved ones that will take care of them if something happened to me but I feel like I need something a little more permanent since I have no intention of making a change in my long term employment or even...even in my chosen path in life." She chose her words very carefully but she said what she wanted to say. "I'm in this for the long load," she said.

"Long haul," Booth said with a giggle. "Long haul."

She just shook her head. It seemed like she was confusing more colloquial phrases today than usual.

* * *

Since it was a Wednesday night, the Founding Fathers was relatively quiet. It was mostly jut the regulars and a few couples out on their awkward first dates. Brennan and Booth made their way toward the back. They were both grinning from ear to ear as they approached their friends.

"Someone must have made a stop by their apartments," Angela said as she saw the pair approaching. "You are way too happy for it to be anything else."

"Angela!" Booth's tone clearly indicated that he was more open than usual to her kidding but that he still disapproved.

The forensic artist just rolled her eyes. "Well, I know I speak for everyone when I say that I'm glad you two finally grew some brain cells and got together."

Their small little group which consisted of the partners, Angela, Cam, Caroline, Daisy, Wendell, Hodgins, Fisher, and even Clark spent the next little while enjoying casual conversation and munching on their appetizers. After she was beginning to get just a little bit tipsy, Angela stood to say a few words. "Alright, so everyone here but two people have known that we would eventually see some kind of explosion leading to the hook up of the century," she said rather quickly indicating that her blood alcohol level was a little elevated.

"Angela, I hardly think," Brennan interrupted which resulted in an eruption of laughter from the group.

Angela just shook her head. "Still so oblivious, Sweetie, but I love you for it. Anyway, as I was saying, we all had our suspicions on how you two would get together. There were bets on stake outs, life threatening events, or drunken stupors. I don't think any of us imagined it would be something so completely romantic as a dinner under the stars. It's fitting for you guys though. You two are so unpredictably, predictable it's sweet," she went on. "I'll shut up now but let me just propose a toast to you two. To Booth and Brennan, you aren't just partners anymore. You guys have long lives ahead of you."

"To Booth and Brennan," echoed through the room and was followed by a series of hugs and well wishes.

The party continued for a while and all of the interns checked out and Caroline left after a simple, "'Bout time you two geniuses got your acts together." Finally, it was just their intimate group of friends, family actually.

Brennan was unusually quiet and seemed very contemplative. Cam broke the silence. "Are you okay, Dr. Brennan?" she asked. She couldn't read the anthropologist well most of the time and she knew she'd had a very long day but she also knew she might be overwhelmed by the events o the last week or so.

"I'm fine," Brennan responded. "Just tired, excited, and slightly overwhelmed."

"Been quite a long day for you two," Cam said noting her understanding.

Brennan nodded. "I bought a house in Cleveland Park today," she practically blurted out.

"Wow, Sweetie," Angela piped in. "You two are skipping all kinds of steps and going straight to the moving in together part. But. . ." she paused and took a sip of her martini. "I guess you have gone on plenty of weekends away and you've shared keys for a long time. It makes sense."

"We aren't really moving in together," Brennan explained. "I just decided that I needed more room to be able to host Booth and Parker and my accountant has been asking me to get a house for quite a while anyway." She pulled a picture out of her purse and handed it to them. "I am going to need some help with purchasing furniture and decorating. I could pay you," she looked directly at Angela.

Angela gave her a hug. "I am so happy for you Bren and you know you don't have to pay me. I'll just live vicariously through you and you will have a beautiful house," she said. "Now, let's go take those guys on at pool. I'm a great shot when I'm tipsy," she said.

Cam immediately stood but Brennan protested. "I'm going to just stay here. I'm tired, Ange."

"Fine," Angela huffed. "Cam and I will whip their tails and tell you what you're missing later."

Brennan just shook her head. She was content but she was so tired. She had been up since early morning, but she never remembered feeling this drained before, not even when she would stay up several evenings in a row. She went through the possible causes of her fatigue in her mind and couldn't quite put her finger on a source. She had certainly been neglecting her exercise regimen lately but decided she should begin taking a multivitamin just in case. If she didn't see an improvement in a few weeks, she would see her primary care physician for a consultation.

Booth was enjoying his game of pool. He was partnered with Hodgins and that was like being partnered with a physicist. '_Does he really have to mention kinetic energy every time he lines up a shot?'_ he thought to himself. As much as he'd hate to admit it, he liked the guy. He was good to Bones and dedicated to their little family and solving crimes. He couldn't believe how far he'd come in the five years of working with these people on a regular basis. His best friends and now his girlfriend were squints and he liked it. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Even though he was busy beating Angela and Cam at eight ball, his focus was on his girlfriend. She was beautiful but there was something not completely right with her right now. '_I shouldn't have let her stay out in that rain storm this morning,_' his good Catholic guilt began to kick in. She looked exhausted and not just the kind of exhausted she got when he'd find her asleep at the table in the bone room. This exhaustion seemed like it went straight to the core of her body. He might not be a world renowned forensic anthropologist but he could certainly read body language, especially if it had to do with her. He'd spent the better part of five years studying her and if he was graded on it, he would definitely get an A.

He watched her as she nursed some kind of non alcoholic drink. '_Probably club soda,'_ he told himself. That's what she always switched to when she felt herself getting a little bit of a buzz or if she was just choosing not to drink. He knew she hadn't really had much that night, maybe two glasses of wine or so. That worried him. He was about to quit in the middle of the game when he heard Angela's drunken squeal.

"Crap," she whined very loudly. "That's a stupid rule. Eight clearly comes after seven and before nine so why do I lose when I knock the eight ball in when there's still an eleven and a thirteen on the table. I'm pretty sure eight comes before those." She was speaking very quickly and the only time Booth remembered her being like this was when she and Brennan had inhaled that meth at the night club.

"Alright, Angie," Hodgins said. "Game's over for the night. Let me call you a cab."

"You guys will make sure she gets home safe, right?" Booth said. He wouldn't mind waiting around with her but he was more concerned with getting Brennan home and in bed. When he saw a nod from both Cam and Hodgins, Booth headed back to the counter where Bones was seated. Her head was propped up on one arm and he could tell she wasn't paying attention to anything going on around her.

"Hey, Bones," he said as he positioned himself beside her at the bar. "You okay?" he asked.

She allowed her head to fall to his shoulder. "I'm just really, really tired. I think I'd like to go home and crawl into the bed and sleep for a very, very long time," she said.

"Alright lazy Bones," he squeezed her tightly and then stood. "I'll get you in bed and then head home." He would gladly stay but didn't want to make her feel like she had to stay awake or play hostess or anything.

She didn't want him to go home. "Stay, please?" she asked. "I mean I'm not really up to any kind of activity but we both have to sleep and my bed is very comfortable."

Booth just laughed. She didn't need to explain. All she had to do was ask. "Sure, but I have to be at the Hoover by 5:30 for a workout on the obstacle course. I have to rerun it in a couple of weeks and want to make sure I'm at the top of my game. I'll be at the lab in time for the meeting though."

Brennan just smiled at him and allowed him to provide her with a little more support than she typically allowed as they walked to the car.

**To be continued. . . **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N – Two days in a row, I'm proud of myself. I hope you guys are still enjoying this story. I'm still not receiving as many reviews as I would like but I have gotten lots of alerts and favorites so I'll take that as a good thing. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews I have received. Please continue to let me know what you think. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a bit darker than what I normally write but it had to be done. Maybe a few things will make a little more sense now. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon too.**

**Thanks to GCatsPJs and Junkiecat for their help and MickeyBoggs for proofing.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 11

At first, it was a pleasant feeling. She woke with a weight on top of her. In the state between awake and asleep, she was sure that Booth was lying on top of her, that they had gotten closer and closer together as they slept. As she began to wake, however, that feeling of comfort turned into one of misery. Booth wasn't on top of her; her own body just felt as though she was weighed down by 180 pounds of brick.

Brennan rolled onto her back very slowly and quickly realized that it wasn't going to be a good day at all. She was achy all over, her throat hurt, and she was pretty certain that she was running a fairly substantial fever. She groaned audibly but willed herself to sit up. She was successful and when she was sitting, she glanced at the clock. "Ugh! 7:20," she said to herself. "I should have been at the lab an hour ago."

She let her feet touch the floor and winced a little bit at the harsh cold of her hardwoods on her bare feet. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and call Booth but she had a case and she had to get to work. They had the case meeting in a few hours and she had a lot of work to get done before then.

Her thoughts went to Booth. He had pampered her the night before by running her a bath and getting her tea. He was clearly different from all of the other men she'd ever dated. Most of them would have run as soon as she said she was too tired but not Booth. He stuck with her and just held her until she fell asleep. It was a very nice feeling.

She was slower than usual but in about 30 minutes, she was dressed, albeit casually, and ready to go. She stood in her kitchen and decided she needed to check her temperature and take some over the counter analgesics. She wasn't surprised when the thermometer displayed 101.8. She'd had postulated as much by her headache and generalized malaise. After downing 600 milligrams of ibuprofen, she grabbed her bags and was out her front door.

* * *

"You look like death warmed over," Angela practically yelled as Brennan ascended the platform.

"I don't know what that means," Brennan responded dryly and rolled a stool over to the exam table of the female remains. Standing for long periods of time over an exam table wasn't going to be an option that day.

Angela shook her head and stepped toward her friend. "It means you look sick, Sweetie. You haven't worn those canvas tennis shoes in years, your blue jeans have holes in them – you haven't dressed liked this since the first year you and Booth worked together. Plus, you never sit when you work," the artist fussed and then put her hand on her friend's forehead. "And, you have a fever so why aren't you at the doctor?"

"I called and my physician is going to see me as soon as we finish with the meeting on the case," Brennan confessed. "I have probably just contracted the infection Parker had. My glands are swollen which is indicative of an infection," she said as she examined the clavicle of the female victim. "I'll work until my appointment and then I'll go home if that's what the doctor recommends. I'll try and keep a safe distance from everyone so they don't get infected. Did you get any hits from the facial reconstructions or dentals yet?" Brennan attempted to change the subject.

Angela barely even answered the question posed. "I'm running them through the database now," she said hastily. "Booth is not going to like this," Angela quipped back. "Have you told him you're sick?"

Brennan shook her head. "He has a training exercise at the Hoover. He'll be here soon," she said before breaking out into a slight cough.

"Take it easy, Sweetie," Angela said as she handed her best friend a box of tissues and decided to leave her to her work on the platform. She'd keep an eye on her from a distance and if need be, she'd call Booth.

"I'll be fine," Brennan murmured as she heard Angela's heels click away from the platform.

* * *

"You're late," Booth said he met up with Angela as she turned the corner of her office and headed toward the stairs toward the lounge. They were both about ten minutes late for the case meeting.

Angela laughed a little. "Yes, but I have IDs on the victims. What do you have?" she picked back.

He just laughed and took the file that she was practically shoving toward his face. "Good work, Angela," he said as he started. "Where's Bones?" he asked.

"Upstairs already," she responded. "She's sick, you know," she explained. "I'm assuming she didn't call you." They were finally at the bottom of the stairs.

Booth ran his hand over his face as he took the stairs two at a time. "Damn frustrating," he muttered under his breath.

"I heard that," Angela said from behind him.

He completely ignored the comment and stepped into the lounge. Brennan was seated on the couch. She looked exhausted and like she felt awful. She was coughing some and her face was pale and flushed. He could tell she was struggling to pay attention to Cam as she spoke.

"I got a hit from the DMV files for both of the victims," Angela said as soon as Cam stopped talking. "Bronson Harrell, 33, a biology professor from American and Katie Byler, 26, a grad student finishing her last bit of research for her dissertation. Both were reported missing at the same time by another biology professor."

Booth wasn't really paying much attention. He sat beside his girlfriend on the couch and did the best he could to avoid kissing her. He knew that she wouldn't approve of public displays of affection in front of her coworkers. He did, however, sit very close to her and rubbed a few small circles on her back with one hand and placed the back of his left hand on her cheek. "You okay, Bones?" he whispered.

Brennan gave her partner a slight nod. Sure, she couldn't recall a time when she had felt as poorly as she did at the present moment, but she knew they just needed to get through this meeting, get some direction on the investigation, and then she could go to the doctor or at the very least, take a nap.

He knew she was lying through her teeth by saying she was okay but he also knew she was tough as nails. He'd make her let him take her to the doctor and then he'd take her home and nurse her back to health.

"So," Booth said when Cam finished asking Hodgins about particulates that he hadn't finished analyzing yet. "I'll go inform the families tomorrow." He wasn't really concerned with the case at the moment. His focus was on his forensic anthropologist.

"What, no," Brennan said followed by a cough. "We can go inform them now. They shouldn't have to wait."

"Whoa, no way, Bones. You are going to get some medicine and then you are going to bed," his tone was firm but he wasn't going let her kill herself trying to work when she was sick. He knew she'd done that for years but it wasn't happening under his charge.

"Dr. Brennan as your supervisor," Cam chimed in. "I cannot allow you to go into the field if you aren't healthy."

"I'm fine," Brennan fussed. "I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions in regards to my physical well being."

"Bones, seriously," Booth said with pleading eyes.

Cam knew better than to allow the stubborn anthropologist to intimidate her way into the field when she was sick. "I'm sure you are, Dr. Brennan but since you were slightly late this morning stated that it was due to physical illness, policy says that the Jeffersonian physician must clear you before you can perform any physical duties," the medical examiner was clearly referring to a rarely used policy but sometimes when it came to stubborn employees, a supervisor had to play the trump card. "So, if you are feeling well enough, go ahead and I'm sure Dr. Martin over at the health center will be able to see you in just a few minutes."

Booth knew that Cam had nailed her. No way she'd allow that. She had fussed on multiple occasions about his medical knowledge or lack thereof.

'_Damn it,' _Brennan fussed to herself. She knew when she had been beat. She considered calling a freebie but knew Cam wouldn't accept it and honestly, she knew she needed to see her physician and she shouldn't sacrifice her own health just for the sake of showing others that illness couldn't get the best of her.

She sighed. "I have already my plans to visit my physician when I have a spare moment."

"Alright then Bones let's vamoose," Booth said as he put his arm around her with the intention of guiding her down the stairs and straight to his SUV.

"I need to finish examining the male victim's remains. There are still a few marks. . . "Brennan began to protest.

"Dr. Brennan," Cam interjected before Booth could get a syllable out. "I think it's best for you to go ahead and go now. If you get a clear report and you feel well enough, you can come back later."

"Fine," she conceded. "But, Booth should go ahead and talk to the families. There is no reason why a slight infection should impede this investigation."

"Bones," Booth immediately protested.

"Booth, don't," she said as she stepped forward and he instinctively wrapped her in his arms. She continued to speak but her voice was a little more muffled since she was leaned against his chest. "I'm just . . . I'm just going to go home and go to bed after I finish at the office," she explained.

"You shouldn't be alone," he told her.

She pulled back from the hug and smiled at him a little. "I'll be fine. Go ahead and finish your work day and you can come over this evening. Although, I'm not sure that I'll be good company. I'm just so tired," she whined.

"I know Bones," Booth said. "Just call me if you need anything. I'll talk to the families and I have to brief Hacker and the others on the case at 3. I'll bring you some soup after that. Text me as soon as you get out of the doctor's office."

She just nodded. "I'm just going to go down and finish. . . "

"Bones!" he actually raised his voice a little bit at her.

Brennan looked at him and saw the concern etched on his features. "I'll just grab a couple of files to take with me so I'll have something to work on while I wait."

"That's my girl," Booth said. "Just promise me you'll rest. Please?"

"That indicates possession, Booth and clearly I am not a possession. I am a highly skilled. . ." She managed to protest until she broke out into a rather forceful cough.

"Uh huh," he said and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Just get checked out and I'll see you as soon as I finish up with my meeting. I can get out of it if . . . "

"That's not necessary," she said and he nodded at her before locking arms to head down.

* * *

"Temperance, your finger prick showed very low iron levels. Dr. Patel wants to get a whole blood test done on you," the young nurse explained and Brennan just nodded her head providing the consent for the test. "Let me go ahead and get your vitals and then I'll send the lab tech in to get the sample."

The nurse began doing her job and a normally talkative Temperance Brennan was fairly lethargic. The dose of ibuprofen she had taken that morning had worn off and although it didn't alleviate the aches or fever, it did take the edge off. She shivered as the nurse stuck the thermometer in her ear.

"102.4," the nurse announced. "Have you taken anything in the last 4 hours or so?"

Brennan checked her watch. It was now 11:45. "I took 600 milligrams of ibuprofen around 8," she explained.

"Let me just get your blood pressure and go ahead and get a strep test then I'll get you some Tylenol," she said before slipping the blood pressure cuff around her arm. After taking the reading she spoke again. "It's a little bit low but you are probably slightly dehydrated from the fever." She then swabbed Brennan's throat for the strep test and announce, "I'll be right back with that Tylenol and we'll get your blood work rushed so you can get some rest."

"I'd appreciate that," Brennan said.

It was just a few minutes when the nurse popped back in with the medication followed almost immediately by the lab technician for the full blood draw. Brennan was relieved when the lab tech left. She could finally ponder the low iron levels. In some ways she was nervous and in others, grateful. The low iron would explain her lack or energy. For that, she was grateful. What made her nervous however was the source. She hadn't made major changes in her diet and she had never struggled with an iron deficiency before. Hopefully this wasn't a sign of some kind of deficiency that would plague her throughout her adult life.

She leaned her head back against the ugly, brown chair she sat in. She couldn't be sure if she had fallen asleep or not, but she was pulled out of her stupor by a knock on the door.

"Dr. Brennan?" the male voice that clearly belonged to Dr. Patel came through the partially open door.

"Come in," she said.

He did and sat on the small rolling stool just in front of Brennan. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired, very, very tired," was her simple answer.

"I understand," the doctor responded. "You have some rather concerning symptoms. Your lab work should be back shortly. They should bring it in as soon as it comes in. Hopefully any minute," he went on. "Let me go ahead and check a few things."

For the next several minutes, Brennan underwent a barrage of pokes and prods. Her eyes, ears, glands, throat, and stomach were all checked. "Hmmm," the doctor said as she was lying on her back and he was palpating her abdomen. "Feels as though your spleen is a little enlarged, does that hurt at all?" he asked.

She nodded automatically and at that moment, Brennan realized that she was not going to be receiving news that she wanted to hear when the blood work came in. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach and, frankly, she became terrified.

The doctor offered her his hand to help her sit back up. Just as he was listening to her lungs, the lab technician knocked on the door but entered immediately. The doctor removed his stethoscope from Brennan's chest and accepted the paper. He looked it over with what Booth would call squinty eyes. He had been Brennan's primary care physician since she moved to DC and he had seen her through multiple sinus infections, minor injuries, and had cared for her after several of her injuries while working with the FBI. He knew that her knowledge of the human body and even the field of medicine were very extensive even though she primarily worked with bones. His own heart broke as he took in the information printed on the white sheet of paper. "Temperance," he said in a very compassionate tone. "I'm very sorry." He simply handed her the paper.

She felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her at his condolences. She took the paper and looked at the counts and she had her answer. She couldn't stop the tears from leaking from her eyes and onto the paper. "I know what that means," she said.

"Is there anyone I can call?" he asked. "I'll go ahead and make arrangements to have you admitted in a few minutes."

"I'll . . ." she struggled to find her voice. "I'll send a text," she said.

Brennan couldn't recall feeling this lost since that scary day as a 15 year old when he parents didn't come home from shopping. She pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a simple text message. **'I need you to come to the hospital,'** she typed and hit send as if on autopilot. She knew she should explain further but honestly, she didn't know what she should say.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N – I'm still on a roll with this story. I'm having fun with it at the expense of my other stories but I'll try and get an update up for the other 2 this weekend. **

**Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. I guess if I want reviews I just need to write a massive cliff hanger. I'll make a mental note of that. ;-) Please continue to let me know what you think. I appreciate any feedback I can get.**

**Thanks so much to GCatsPJs and Junkiecat for their help and to MickeyBoggs for proofing. **

**Enjoy reading and don't forget to review.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones!_

Chapter 12

Brennan's cell phone vibrated again but she couldn't bring herself to answer it. She couldn't talk to him yet. She was afraid, shaken to her core. This could not be happening, not to her. She was a vegetarian, had a BMI of 20, and had never smoked a cigarette. Sure, she had handled her share of cancer causing chemicals during her studies but she always took the necessary precautions. It was irrational since she knew that these things just occurred, that the mitotic division of cells sometimes went awry, but it wasn't supposed to happen to her. She sighed as the phone vibrated for a third time. The tears were still pouring down her cheeks. She knew it was probably the wrong approach, but she composed another simple text message. **'I don't have all the answers. Just come, please?' **She knew it probably came across as more insecure than she intended, but she couldn't control her spiraling emotions at the moment.

* * *

Booth frantically dialed her number. She wouldn't answer and it terrified him. The scenarios that ran through his head were awful. '_Why is she even at the hospital?' _he thought to himself. '_She just has Parker's strep throat,'_ he told himself over and over, willing it to be true. He had received her text message just as he had finished informing Katie Byler's mother that her daughter's remains had been located. He was just waiting with her to make sure she was alright until her other daughter arrived. When he opened the text, everything changed. He quickly excused himself and hopped in the SUV. Thankfully, he knew that Brennan's doctor's office was attached to Georgetown. Otherwise, he would have no idea which hospital to go to. He knew that that was an indication of her distress. She was a detail oriented person and rarely left out specifics.

Finally, after the third attempt to get her to answer her cell phone, he got her very simple text. The fear and insecurity of his partner was abundantly clear. She was scared. Something scared her and that scared him. He flipped on his siren. This was clearly the definition of an emergency.

He used one hand to compose a reply. **'R U OK? On my way. What floor?'**

Despite his typical calm nature, it took him a few seconds to successfully hit the send button due to his shaky fingers. He hoped that maybe she'd call him back or at least give him a little more information. He got a response but it didn't really tell him anything. **'6****th**** floor,'**was all it said. She didn't tell him she was fine like she would normally do. Her response was too simple and too scary.

He studied the simple phrase now displayed on his phone. '_6__th__ floor, 6__th__ floor,'_ he thought to himself. He couldn't think of a time when he had been on the 6th floor. When the information finally clicked and that simple sign he saw one time flashed in his head, he felt like he was hit by a very large anvil. "That's oncology," he said aloud. "No, no, no," he fussed and suddenly he hoped that she found a murder victim or something at the hospital. He pressed his foot down toward the floor board. Speed limits and protocols were no longer important. All that mattered now was his Bones.

* * *

She didn't know why she was still holding the plain, white, now wrinkled paper that displayed her whole blood count results. She read over it over and over again. She knew it wouldn't change the results but something inside her hoped that if she took a deep breath and maybe blinked that her platelet count would increase and her white blood cell count would decrease. She could have dealt with the low iron levels. Anemia was easy enough to control but this, this might be too much for her to handle.

The day before, she was stomping through the murky swamp water and today she was seated in a wheelchair being wheeled across the skywalk from her doctor's office to a triage room on the hematology and oncology floor at Georgetown University Hospital. She had insisted that she could walk but was told that she would not be allowed since her platelet count was dangerously low and any fall or bump could cause serious problems.

She was wheeled into a very small room where she was asked to change into a hospital gown and instructed to climb onto the hospital bed. She was cold, alone, and scared. '_This cannot be happening,'_ she thought as she rested her head back against the bed. She knew she only had a few minutes to collect her thoughts before either a nurse or a certain FBI Agent came into her room.

* * *

Booth could actually hear his dress shoes squeal as he came to a halt at the nurses' station of the oncology floor at the hospital. He would have never dreamed he would need to come to this floor, at least not for another 30 years. Young, healthy people like his partner, his girlfriend didn't get cancer. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. She'd tell him not to jump to conclusions that he didn't have all the information. Maybe it wasn't cancer. He could hope, right?

"May I help you?" the young desk clerk asked him and he was pretty sure she was checking him out as she waited on his response. Most of the time if he caught someone looking he'd flirt but not now. His thoughts were on one thing or one person.

"Ummm, yeah," his voice was not calm and cool like it would normally be. "I. . . Temperance Brennan?" he forced out.

The young receptionist simply nodded and typed a few things on the computer. "She's back in our triage area," she informed him. "If you'll wait just a second, I'll have her nurse come down to take you back. You can have a seat."

'_Have a seat? She wants me to have a seat,' _he thought to himself. There was no way in hell he could sit down when something was wrong with his partner. '_Doesn't she realize she works on the CANCER floor of a hospital?'_ He shook his head to clear his thoughts and stepped back from the desk. There wasn't a whole lot of room for pacing, but he managed for find about 5 feet of clear carpeted area he could pace as if he were a tiger behind the glass at the zoo.

It was just a few minutes before Booth noticed a tall, slender nurse come to the desk. The receptionist tipped her head in Booth's direction and the nurse approached. "Are you Agent Booth?" she asked.

He nodded. Pain and fear were etched into his features. If Brennan could have seen the look at that very moment, she would have quickly recognized that she had only seen that look a few other times, namely when he told her about his past as a sniper and when he told her about his father.

The nurse could see the fear. She had done this many times before and hated it every time. "I'm Elizabeth but most patients and families just call me Liz. I'm the charge nurse on day shift. I'll take you back if you are ready."

Booth seemed to have lost the capacity to form words. He just gave her another nod and followed as she led him down what seemed like an endless corridor. The hall itself disturbed Booth in the way the lab disturbed him, the way he had described to Gordon Gordon almost three years before. The hall was too pristine, too clean. He knew that this corridor housed patients suffering through some of the most painful, most debilitating disorders known to man. It wasn't right that there were pictures of beautiful mountains, rivers, and streams hanging at even intervals on the wall. The entire thing just wasn't fair.

They stopped just in front of a door. It was closed and only about ten or so feet from yet another nurses' station. "I . . . I just need a second," he said. He couldn't go in the room scared. He couldn't let her see him on the verge of tears.

"Take your time," Liz said. "I'll give you two a few minutes before I come in to get a few orders going for her." She then stepped toward the desk where she flipped open a file folder.

He took a deep breath and turned to face the heavy wooden door. He let his head tip forward and rest for just a second. '_Please, God,'_ he prayed silently. '_Just let her be okay. She's way too special for me to lose. Please?'_ He prayed on a regular basis but he was pretty sure that simple prayer was the most desperate and the most heartfelt one he had ever prayed. He lifted his head and took a breath before taking the handle and entering the room.

* * *

After a few minutes of being lost in her thoughts, Brennan slipped into a light sleep. The fever, the exhaustion, and emotional stress finally overtook her active thoughts. She knew she needed to think, to get her resolve back but she was numb at the moment, most likely from emotional shock even though she'd deny it if someone mentioned it.

Booth slipped into the room quietly and drank in the sight in front of him. At first glance, nothing had changed. She was simply sleeping. He could tell from the look on her face that she wasn't sleeping peacefully. He knew the look. It was there when she found her mother and when she fell asleep after Zack's admission. It was usually something he could help with by bringing Thai in the middle of the night of letting her break into his good scotch.

When he backed up a bit and looked at the big picture, however, he knew everything had changed. She was in the hospital not because of an accident or suspect. This one was her own body betraying her. No Pad Thai at midnight could fix this one. He didn't know all the details or even any details about what was going on but he knew it wasn't going to be an easy road. He took a deep breath and suddenly her eyes popped open.

"Hi," Brennan said. Her voice had weakened since that morning. She couldn't seem to get rid of the lump in her throat.

He sat down on the bed and took her hand. He didn't say anything. He just pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it. He then put her hand down and wrapped her up in a hug.

"I. . . I should have connected all my symptoms," Brennan mumbled into his shoulder. "Maybe. . . " she couldn't get the words out and the tears simply began to fall.

Booth just held her and placed the occasional kiss in her hair while she cried. The tears streamed down his cheek for a few minutes as well but this wasn't about him. It was about her.

After a few more minutes, her breathing evened out so he pulled back slightly. "I need you to tell me what all this means?" he pleaded. He needed answers. He needed to know what they were facing. Hopefully, it would be better than what he was imagining during the drive over.

She nodded and pulled out the crumpled sheet of paper and handed it to him. She attempted to wipe her soaked eyes with the back of hand. Booth took the paper but before looking at it he pulled a few tissues from the box and handed it to her. "Thanks," she said with a cough.

He grimaced as she coughed. He didn't like it one bit but at least maybe they could give her something for that. He focused his attention to the paper she had handed him. He looked at the numbers and could understand most of them. It was titled Whole Blood Analysis and had the usual patient information. He double checked the name just to make sure it was hers and that there hadn't been a mix up. It was hers. There was no doubt about that.

He looked at the remaining numbers and columns. There were so many numbers on the paper that he immediately became confused. He finally noticed that the far column was listed as a 'Normal Range' column. He checked her numbers against what was in the last column. First, the platelet number jumped out at him. Normal was listed as 150 – 450 with some long numbers after it. Her number was only 25. He was pretty sure that wasn't a very good thing. He continued to glance over the numbers and noticed that her white blood cell number was way above the normal range. He looked on to the bottom of the paper and he saw a note flagged by asterisks and written in bold. 'Blasts Clearly Evident in Peripheral Blood Smear,' it read.

He'd seen enough so he refolded the paper and handed it back to her. "I don't. . . I don't know what this means," he looked at her with confused eyes.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the bed. She couldn't look at him and manage to explain it at the same time without breaking. "Those cell counts are indicative of one of the forms of acute leukemia. I . . . I most likely have cancer," she forced out.

Neither of them had time to say or do anything. There was a sharp knock on the door followed by the entrance of the nurse from earlier, Liz.

"I can come back," she said. It was obvious that they were having a moment.

Brennan cleared her throat. "No," she protested. "It's alright. We can talk shortly and I would really like to get this process started." She told the truth, she really did want to get the process started but she was also anxious for some relief to her symptoms so she could think clearly and figure out how to fight her own body's betrayal.

"Alright then," she said. "I'm going to get you started on some fluids and a broad spectrum antibiotic that will help with your respiratory symptoms. Your strep test was negative but there's a little bit of a crackle there. We'll keep a check on that but hopefully the antibiotics will get rid of it quickly," Liz explained. "Dr. Patel has talked with our head of oncology, Dr. Maxwell Brooks and he has agreed to take you as a patient. He's on his way up."

The nurse was efficient in getting Brennan's IV placed in her left forearm instead of at her elbow or on the back of her hand. This placement would provide Brennan with the least disruption the use of her hand.

"Do you need anything for pain?" Liz asked as she checked Brennan's vitals. Brennan just shook her head. She wanted to wait and see if the IV fluids helped before she took anything that would inhibit her neuronal processes. "Let me get your temperature," she said as she put a cover on the thermometer. It was just a few seconds before it beeped and she checked the display. "101.2," she announced. "That's better than at the doctor. Hopefully the fluids will help get it down a little more. I'll check it again soon." She recorded some information on the computer station in the room and then looked at Booth and Brennan. "Do you guys need anything?" she asked.

The both shook their heads. "Alright, if you need anything just buzz. I'll be back in with Dr. Brooks in a few minutes," Liz stated compassionately before leaving the partners alone.

The tension in the air was very thick. It was a different kind of tension than what they were used to. It wasn't sexual tension; it was worry.

"We're going to be alright, Bones," Booth broke the silence. "We're going to be together for 40 or 50 more years."

A tear trailed down her cheek. "You can't know that, Booth," she said.

"Bones, I have faith. I know you don't believe like I believe but you believe in science and you believe in me," he held her hand in his own as he spoke. "Just have faith that the things you do believe in will get you through this. We don't even know what it is yet," he reasoned.

She just nodded and rested her head back on the back of the bed. Her head was throbbing and she could feel the pain radiating down her neck and back. "I'll try, Booth," she said as she reached up and massaged her trapezius muscles slightly in effort to relieve some of the ache.

"Here," Booth said as he stood up. "Slide forward and let me help some."

She did as instructed and tried her best to relax while waiting on the doctor.

* * *

"We are going to get you started by giving you a couple of units of whole blood and sending you down for a CT scan," Dr. Brooks explained. "I need to get a full picture of what we are looking at."

The doctor had been with them for just over ten minutes and was getting straight to business. Brennan could really appreciate that. "When will we have a more definitive diagnosis?" she asked.

"I really need to get you in for a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy but that'll have to wait until we get your platelets up before I can do that. After this transfusion, we'll do a clotting test and if you are clotting well enough, we'll take you back for the test tonight," the tall, lanky doctor explained. "I'm fairly certain we are looking at the M3 form of AML," he was about to explain when Booth interrupted.

"What's that?" the FBI Agent asked as if he was daring the doctor not to answer.

"Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, your platelet levels are so low that I suspect APL," he explained. "From the looks of your white count and spleen, it is pretty advanced, but we're going to hit this hard ASAP." His tone was confident. "I'll know for sure tonight if there are actually blasts in your bone marrow and if that is confirmed we'll start you on ATRA immediately. I won't know for sure if it's APL for 48 hours or so but if we don't get your platelet count under control you are at an extremely high risk for hemorrhage."

"What's a blast?" Booth asked. He recalled seeing that written in bold on that lab report.

The doctor should have seen that one coming. It was one of the most common questions he got from new patients and their family members. "Blasts are immature blood cells. Normally, the blast cells differentiate into the different types of blood cells. With some forms of leukemia, the blasts stop developing and are present in the person's blood. The person's blood counts and immune systems suffer," his explanation was very simple but it did the job of explaining the significance. He only wished he didn't have to give the lesson quite so often. "With APL, this leads to extremely low platelet counts. That's why we anticipate Temperance has that particular form of leukemia," he explained. "If we're wrong and it turns out to be a different form, the ATRA will not hurt her but it could be very dangerous for you to go another day without it."

Brennan just nodded and Booth let out a pained sigh. He didn't like any of this.

"I know this is all a lot to take in but I can assure you that I'm the best in my field and I will do everything I can to get this under control as quickly as possible," he said as he patted Brennan on the leg. He then addressed Liz. "Go ahead and order two units from the blood bank and put a stat on it. As soon as that's infusing, let's get her down for a chest X-Ray, CT scan, and go ahead and start her on the antiemetic protocol," he dictated to the nurse who quickly stepped out to make the necessary calls to the various departments. "Dr. Brennan, I need you to understand that this isn't going to be easy. Good days are going to be few and far between for the next few weeks," he then directed his attention toward Booth. "She's going to need a lot of support."

Booth just nodded and took her hand again as a sign of support. He really appreciated this doctor's possessive attitude toward his patient.

"Good," Dr. Brooks said. "Temperance, let us know if you hurt or if something doesn't feel right. As soon as we get a confirmation of blasts in the marrow, we'll get you into a more comfortable suite."

The doctor exited and Booth looked at his girlfriend. "Suite?" he questioned.

"Georgetown has one of the most patient centered oncology departments in the country. About six months ago they finished a remodel which included several inpatient suites to provide long term patients with a more comfortable environment," she explained. She knew that if leukemia was confirmed that she'd be looking at four to six weeks inpatient at the minimum. "I made a donation and attended the ribbon cutting," she finished. The irony of the situation almost made her laugh.

"Ummm," he didn't really want to broach the subject, but it had to be done. "Bones, what do you want to do about calling everyone? Do you want to wait?"

Another round of tears leaked down her cheek. "I would imagine it would be unfair not to contact them," she said with a sigh. "I probably need Angela to go by and pick up a few things for me. This gown is not comfortable and I'm cold," she said. She hated sounding pitiful but she couldn't really help it.

"You want me to call them?" he asked as he took the blanket from the foot of the bed and covered her with it, positioned himself beside her, and pulled her in to his side as he spoke. "I can do it when they take you for tests."

Brennan simply nodded and allowed herself to drift off again but this time sleep was more restful with his arms around her.

**To be continued . . . **

**Another Note - I just wanted to say that I know the topic I'm addressing in this story is sensitive and please know that I am doing my best to keep it medically accurate and realistic. I lost a parent to cancer at a young age so I know what it can do to a person and their family. I mean no disrespect at all. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N – Thanks for all of your reviews. My numbers are up which makes me feel better about the quality of the writing. I hope you are all still enjoying it and please continue to let me know what you think. **

**As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I am trying to be as sensitive as possible with this topic while still keeping it medically accurate. I have not been through any of the procedures I am mentioning but I do research everything I write a lot before I write it. **

**Thanks so much to Junkiecat and GCatsPJs for their help and MickeyBoggs for proofing. This story would be of much lower quality without them!**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones!_

Chapter 13

The scene was eerily similar to one that had occurred just under a year earlier but at the moment the mood was lighter. Hodgins, Cam, Angela, Sweets and Daisy were gathered at the hospital. Booth called Angela as soon as they got Brennan ready to go down for testing. They told him she would most likely be gone for around two hours so that gave them plenty of time to get there before she finished up. When he called Angela he didn't give her any details just that they should meet him in the main lobby waiting room. He could have had them come to the 6th floor, just as he had, but he didn't want to scare them. He planned on going down to meet them and breaking the news to them very gently.

He took the elevator down to the second floor and walked toward the large staircase that led to the main lobby. There they were all seated waiting on him. He had really only meant for Angela and Cam to come but he must not have made that clear. This was big, bigger than anything they had ever faced including his brain tumor. He asked for Angela for Bones and Cam for him. He should have known that the squints traveled in packs. They'd all find out eventually anyway. Cam and Angela both wore smiles on their faces. He knew they weren't expecting anything like this. No one would have expected this. The only one who looked the least bit nervous was Hodgins. He seemed to be staring into the distance, lost in his own thoughts. Booth knew that he and Brennan had a special bond since their time in the car and that despite their disagreements he was protective of her and loved her as a member of his family.

He took a deep breath and headed down the stairs. It was time to face the music.

* * *

"I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when Bren's doctor told her they were sending her over here," Angela joked. "No way she could be happy about that." The team wasn't really nervous. They had just seen Dr. Brennan two hours earlier and all agreed that she had most likely just contracted some kind of infection which was aggravated by her time in the swamp and her lack of taking care of herself.

Cam just nodded. "Doctors make the worst patients," she said. "Damn stubborn, most of them," she laughed.

"Dr. Saroyan," Daisy chimed in. "You are a doctor."

"I am very well aware of that. Thank you Daisy," Cam said in a very supervisorly tone.

Hodgins took a sip of his drink and looked over at Sweets. "When did you get back in town?" he asked. He couldn't help but be nervous. Hospitals were never a good thing.

"Oh, ummm," Sweets stammered a bit. "This morning. I. . .I had a workshop up in Vermont," he explained.

"Dude." Hodgins said with a laugh. "They have psychology conferences in Vermont in the middle of April?" he questioned.

"I thought the only thing they had in Vermont was maple syrup," Angela added and everyone laughed everyone that is but Booth who had just walked up.

They all looked up and saw his face and the tone changed immediately. "Where's Brennan?" Angela asked in a panicked tone.

Booth shifted from his heels to his toes and put his hands in his pockets like a little boy considering confessing a wrong doing to his mother. "She ummm . . . she's . . . they took her for a CT Scan and some other tests," he said insecurely and looked at his watch. "She'll probably be gone for another hour or so."

He couldn't believe it had already been an hour. Before he had made his way down to the lobby, he had made his way from the small room in triage to the chapel where he said a few Hail Marys. He didn't find the usual peace he found when he prayed so he paced for a while hoping the monotony would calm him some. It hadn't worked.

"Why the hell does she need a CAT Scan, Booth?" Angela almost yelled. "What is wrong with her?"

"Sit down," he said. His nerves began to calm slightly as Angela got worked up. He took a seat in the little pod of chairs. He ran his fingers through his hair and then began to explain. "Her doctor ordered some blood work because her iron was all out of whack. Apparently, her blood counts were bad and then they found some irregular cells."

"Blasts?" Cam questioned simply. The myriad of symptoms she'd seen in Brennan over the last few weeks suddenly made sense. She should have seen it earlier.

Booth nodded and looked up to Angela who looked confused. "They think it's leukemia. Her doctor said APL or something but they won't know the specific form until this weekend. They want to get a bone marrow sample as soon as they can get her a couple of units of blood. She was really low."

"Oh my God," Angela said and practically threw herself onto Hodgins.

Cam was speechless and just sat back down with a burdened thump.

Daisy allowed her head to fall on to Sweets' shoulder after a few seconds and the psychologist took the time to observe the people around him. After a few moments of silence, some of the tears had stopped falling and everyone started throwing glances in various directions as if they were at a loss for words.

Sweets took the opportunity to refocus everyone. "I think now is a time that we should be grateful for the partnership that Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan have. Not only have the learned to rely on each other in times of need, they have learned that true love first begins with friendship. I for one am thankful for the new direction of their relationship. I always knew that their affection for each other was not strictly platonic."

Clearly, for Booth, Sweets had learned nothing from his previous conversation. He stood up and his eyes filled with rage. Rage that he inherited from his father and that he had only allowed to surface a few other times in his life. It had been there when he found out that Epps had talked to Parker, when the gang leader put the hit out on Brennan, and when Vega gave up any hope of finding where the Gravedigger had buried her. This time, the rage was directed at Sweets. "You are thankful for our relationship, Sweets ?" Booth's words were filled with fury. "You are a 12 year old and you couldn't even begin to understand our relationship and how we feel about each other. Heck, this is probably another chance for you to write a book and try to get yourself published in some stupid journal. You have already done enough damage, Sweets," he said as he approached him, grabbed his lapel and dared him not to stand up as he pulled. "I have had two magical nights with that woman, Sweets, and that very well could be the only two chances I ever get to really, really make love to her. You took something from us Sweets and if I wasn't intent on being there for Bones every step of the way to make sure she beats this damn thing, I'd shoot you right now. Prison would be worth it to make sure that you can't do what you did to us to anyone else. I dare you to come near either one of us with your psychological mumbo jumbo ever again," he said and tightened his grip.

Booth didn't release him; he just stood there holding his jacket tightly. No one could be sure what the agent intended to do next. They just looked on with fear and maybe even a sense of fury of their own toward Sweets.

After a few more seconds passed, Booth felt another hand on his own. "As much as I'd love to punch him for you myself, Booth," Hodgins said. "He's not worth it. It doesn't help what's going on now and the now is what matters." The entomologist wasn't sure of exactly what Sweets had done but he knew that he had to diffuse Booth's anger or he'd do something both he and Brennan would regret.

Booth tightened his grip on Sweets and cut a glance to Hodgins. Almost instantly, he dropped the psychologist, turned on his heels and headed for the sliding doors at the front of the lobby.

* * *

"She should be getting finished soon," the female voice surprised Booth and he jumped a little on the bench in front of the fountain.

He turned saw her standing directly behind him and immediately turned back around to stare at the water as it flowed over the rocks. "They, ummm. They gave me this beeper thing and told me they'd beep me when she was on her way back to the room. I'd much rather be waiting on a table at some chain restaurant though," he said and allowed a faint smile to form on his face.

Cam laughed a little and sat beside him. She placed her hand on his back and he instinctively turned to hug her. "I should have seen it. I shouldn't have let her tell me she was fine. I should have had her in here weeks ago or something and not have her sitting at her apartment taking care of my sick son or in a swamp stomping through the mud. Maybe if I had. . .

"Stop it Seeley," she said as she used her hands to push him out of the hug and made him look her in the eyes. "This is not something you could stop and we all know that Dr. Brennan is as stubborn as they come. You weren't going to be able to get her to a doctor until she was ready to go. Chances are even if you had made her go in they wouldn't have found it until she was sick enough. These things just happen," She pulled him back into the hug. "This is not your fault," she said as she felt her shoulder become damp from his tears.

Neither of them knew how long they sat there and neither of them cared. Booth knew he had to get himself together. He had to be strong. He needed to compartmentalize a little bit, like Bones always did, and focus on the task at hand. He had to take care of her. He couldn't do that when he was weak. "She's going to beat this," he said so softly that Cam knew that he wasn't sure of it.

She nodded. "She's strong and she'll fight. We'll all be there for her," she assured him.

"Thanks, Camille," he said.

"Don't call me Camille," the medical examiner teased.

He was about to quip back about her calling him Seeley earlier when the ugly brown buzzer in his hand began to vibrate. "I . . . I.," he didn't know what to say.

"Go," Cam said definitively. "I'll go back to the lobby. Just call us when you need us. We'll be here."

"You can go to the 6th floor waiting room," he said as he was already heading back inside. "It's smaller and a lot quieter."

Cam just smiled at him. He had found his resolve and she knew that he would hold the world on his shoulders if that's what it took to make sure Brennan was okay.

* * *

"You're sure that she's okay to have this done?" the FBI Agent questioned. "There's not a chance that's she'll bleed too much or anything is there?"

"Booth, I'll be fine. They have given me an ample supply of blood," Brennan said before the nurse had a chance to say anything. "It's really a small incision and while I'm sure I will experience some pain, we need to be able to look at the bone marrow to determine the best course of action."

Booth was thankful for her words. They showed him that she was still his partner, always rationalizing things, always saying she was fine. It felt a lot better to know that she was still putting up a fight against him. If she could find the energy to fight him, he knew her body would fight this cancer with every ounce of strength it had. He looked down at his watch and saw that it was now 6:30 in the evening. He had skipped lunch and dinner but he wasn't hungry in the least. "Are you hungry, Bones?" he asked.

"It wouldn't be advisable for me to eat prior to the procedure but I might like to have something after Dr. Brooks allows me to return to the room," she said. She knew that the bone marrow aspiration and biopsy were painful. She had read that the patient would experience an ache that traveled through the bones of the pelvic girdle. At that moment she considered the irony in her situation. Most people didn't realize that the skeletal system was responsible for producing every blood cell in the human body. Essentially, the skeletal system provided the person with life. She had said many times before that she could always rely on bones and they bones would never let her down. Now, however, she found herself in a completely different situation. Her own bones were betraying her. They were the source of the problem. The one thing that she could always count on was now her enemy. Well the one the she could count on before Booth. Now she had him and he was the only thing or person that hadn't betrayed her.

"Are you okay?" Booth asked.

Brennan nodded. "I'm just tired and I don't feel well," she said dryly. After a few seconds she went on, "I'm nervous."

"You'll do fine," he said as he put his hand on her cheek. "I'll be here waiting when you get back and maybe I'll see if Angela can pick you up a milkshake and some fries on the way back from your apartment." Angela, Hodgins, and Cam had been able to visit for a few minutes after she got back to the room and Angela was picking up some things from Brennan's apartment for her.

"No," she protested.

He raised his eyebrows. "You don't feel up to fries?"

"It's not that. I just would like for you to come with me," she said rather insecurely. "Please?"

That scared Booth. He'd asked her to scrub in to his surgery but she was a bone specialist. Her being there was justified. He really didn't have a reason to go with her for this part. "Bones, is that even allowed?"

"It's common practice for loved ones to be present during a bone marrow biopsy," she explained. "It's irrational, I know but I'm scared and I don't want to have to have anesthesia. If you're there, maybe I'll be able to stay calm."

He just nodded and kissed her deeply. He'd go to the ends of the earth for her if she needed him to. He could certainly go with her to this.

There was a knock on the door. "Temperance," Dr. Brooks said as he peeked his head in. "We have the room all set up and we'll get this taken care of soon. You'll be going back to room 6125 after the procedure."

"I thought you wanted to wait on the bone marrow. . ." Booth question but the doctor cut him off.

"I've been doing this a long time, Agent Booth. I'm confident after looking at Temperance's CT scans that we are going to find abnormal cells in her marrow. Her spleen is enlarged and she has some nodal involvement. I have no reason to wait on assigning her to a more comfortable room," the doctor explained.

Booth nodded simply. He liked that her doctor was confident but he would never like that he was so sure that she had leukemia.

"Just leave your things and I'll have them transferred over," Liz said as she walked in the door.

"I assumed your shift was over by now," Brennan commented.

"It is or it was but I like to stay with my new patients until they are in their suite," the nurse said as she went to work on a few things. "Temperance, we're going to give you a sedative to help you relax a little bit during the procedure."

Brennan and Booth both nodded as Liz injected a small amount of the clear liquid into the anthropologist's IV. "Are you coming with her?" Liz asked Booth who nodded. "Go ahead and follow me. We'll get you geared up and the orderlies will bring her in just a few seconds."

Booth followed her and was instructed to don a pair of shoe covers and a large blue cover that tied in the back. He was then instructed on how and for how long to wash his hands. When he had sufficiently scrubbed his hands until they were red, he followed Liz into a small, very sterile room. He immediately noticed that his partner was already on the table and was positioned on her side.

"Hey," he said as he sat on the stool directly in front of her face. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Mmmmm, sleepy," she mumbled. "They gave me the good stuff, I think."

He just let his forehead meet hers. He would have liked to kiss her but he was wearing a mask. He'd have to settle for the skin to skin contact.

Dr. Brooks entered the room in just a few minutes and he immediately sat at Brennan's hip and set to work. Booth could see him clean a small area with a brownish liquid he assumed was some kind of betadine. "Alright, Temperance," he said. "We're going to go ahead and start. You'll feel a slight bee sting. Just try to stay still. Agent Booth, just allow her to hold on to you if she needs to so she can stay still.

'_Let her hold me,' _he repeated to himself. '_That, I can do.'_

Within a few seconds, Brennan let out a pained hiss as the local anesthetic traveled into the area. Booth just focused on her eyes.

"I'm going to make a slight incision. Let me know if you feel any pain," the doctor said as he continued to work. He took the small scalpel and made a cut just above her hipbone on her back. Booth knew she could name the protuberance or whatever it was and all he knew was that he liked how that spot looked when she walked. "I'm going to feed the needle in now," Brooks said. "You may feel some pain radiating down your leg. I'm sorry," he consoled as best as he could.

Booth allowed his eyes to travel to what the doctor was doing and saw him slide a long, hollow needle through the incision he made earlier. He could tell when it reached the bone because he felt Brennan tense against him and she let out a muffled whimper. "It's okay, baby," he whispered. "It'll be over soon."

The doctor used a syringe to collect three large vials of a thick, red material. Booth knew that material was responsible for making her sick and if it was possible, he hated that stuff.

"You're doing great, Temperance," Dr. Brooks said as he removed the table. "Last thing is the biopsy."

Brennan knew bones and she'd had broken bones in the past but she had never really felt true bone pain like she felt a few minutes later. Brooks inserted what looked like a larger needle with what Booth would describe as a cork screw on the top of it through the incision. "Very still, Temperance," the doctor instructed.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Brennan felt the pain. She could hear the cracking sound of the bone as the core was taken. She willed herself to be still but the pain was excruciating as it traveled through her pelvis and even made its way down her leg. She couldn't help it. The tears leaked out of her eyes.

Thankfully, it was over soon and Brooks removed the needle and positioned the apparatus over a cup of a clear solution. Booth saw a small core of her bone marrow enter the cup and stay together as a tiny cylinder. He knew those samples held so many answers. They were the key to getting her better as soon as possible.

"We're all done," Brooks said as he closed the lid on the container. "We're going to cover the site with a pressure bandage. You'll need to lie very still for the next 15 – 30 minutes so we can make sure the bleeding stops. Sleep if you can," he said. "Would you like anything for pain?"

"No," was her simple answer. She didn't want anything yet. She had to prove to herself that she could handle this on her own. She knew she'd have to handle much more in the days to come.

**To be continued. . . **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N – Thanks so much for all the feedback on the previous couple of chapters. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story and that I manage to pick up a few more readers along the way. I understand this topic is sensitive and I hope I continue to handle it with respect.**

**I wasn't sure how quickly I would get this up since I have a couple of projects going on and want to update my other fics. Honestly, my creativity seems to be focused only on this story at the moment. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. **

**Please continue to let me know how I'm doing with this one. I was worried about this chapter since I have been working on several things at the same time.**

**Thanks to Thnx4theGum, GCatsPJs, Junkiecat and Sirenizzed for their feedback on this writing and to MickeyBoggs for proofing. They have their work cut out for them since I am prone to work on fics on my Blackberry.**

**ENJOY!**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 14

After Brennan's biopsy and aspiration were complete and the nurses were satisfied that her bleeding was under control, she was wheeled into what seemed to be a very private, very secluded portion of the floor. It was decorated more like an apartment building or hotel than a hospital. Brennan had toured the wing before so it was no surprise to her. Booth, however was shocked at the non-hospital appearance.

"I'll be back in the morning for the 7:00 shift," Liz said as she pushed Brennan's wheelchair. "You'll be a lot more comfortable over here. The hospital administrator insisted we put you in the best suite we have. It's the most private, a little bit bigger, and has the best view of the area," she said.

"That is not necessary," Brennan protested. She knew that she received special treatments in restaurants and stores but didn't see how that applied to a medicinal setting.

Liz stopped in front of the last door on the hall. It would be the one Brennan would occupy for the foreseeable future. "Actually, it has a lot to do with the location of this suite. It's at the very back so that security has an easier time of keeping you out of the papers."

"I'm her security," Booth said.

Liz just cut her eyes to Brennan who rolled hers in response before speaking. "He is quite possessive of me," she said simply.

"I can see that," the nurse said. "Here we are. The shift nurse will bring back a few more papers for you to fill out. You'll need to list the names of any approved visitors. People won't be able to come back here unless they are on the list. If you have anyone coming tonight go ahead and give me their names and I'll put them on your sheet on the way out."

"Angela Montenegro should be returning shortly," Brennan said.

Liz smiled. "I'll take care of it. Do your best to rest," she looked to both of them. "If you need anything, let the nurse know."

"We will," Booth said as he helped Brennan out of the wheelchair and onto the couch. He was impressed with the room. It was a rather spacious sitting room with a couch, flat screen TV, lamps, a recliner, and a pair of arm chairs. If he didn't know any better, he might mistake it for a hotel suite but there were subtle cues that it was a hospital room. There was an oxygen outlet on the wall and several small oak cabinets that housed medical equipment that could be pulled out in a second's notice. Too bad this wasn't a vacation. It was a battle they were going to have to fight.

There was a wide walkway leading back to the bedroom portion of the suite. That room was more like a hospital room than the sitting area. Sure, they did all they could to mask it but adding a decorative comforter to a hospital bed didn't change the fact that it was a hospital bed. It might make things a little more pleasant but it was still a bad situation.

* * *

Angela had done as she had told Booth she would and went to Brennan's apartment to pick up some clothes for her best friend. She then ran to the diner, picked up an order and made her way back to the hospital.

"How do you feel, Bren?" she asked.

Brennan had been sitting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table while Booth and Angela cleaned up a little bit. At her friend's question, she pulled her feet off the table and sat up a bit straighter. "I'm tired and my iliac crest is quite sore from the bone marrow procedure. Other than that, I don't feel very different than I did yesterday," she answered honestly. "My fever and cough seem to be improving already."

Angela positioned herself beside her. "This room is too nice," she said. "If it wasn't for the hospital bed, all the hand rails, and you sitting here with an IV, I wouldn't really know it was a hospital room."

The anthropologist nodded. "They have made great strides towards making the induction and recovery period more comfortable for suffers of acute cancers," she said. She spoke very scientifically. She was detached. "Most patients will spend four to six weeks before achieving remission and regaining enough strength to return to their homes. I'm not exactly sure how the consolidation phase is handled."

She couldn't stop it, Angela's eyes filled with tears. "You know I hate this, Brennan," she said. "You shouldn't have to go through this."

"It is what it is, Angela," Brennan said. "I learned a long time ago that I have two choices when things don't go as I would expect them to go. I can choose to focus on the problem or I can choose to move on in spite of the problem. When my parents first left I chose the former and was miserable until I decided that I wanted to fight. Ever since then, I've chosen to fight."

"That's essentially psychology, Sweetie," the artist said with a smile. "I get it though."

There was a brief period of silence but before the pair chose the next line of conversation and before Booth returned from unpacking a few of Brennan's things in the bedroom area, there was a knock on the door. "Temperance," Dr. Brooks said as he opened the door. The presence of the doctor sporting a pair of scrubs was a subtle reminder to them that they were in a hospital and not a hotel.

Booth came back into the room when he heard the door open. "Hey Doc," he said nervously as he sat on the edge of one of the arm chairs.

"I'll get going," Angela said.

Brennan shook her head. "It's alright, Ange. You can stay. I would anticipate there will be no surprises in the information Dr. Brooks has."

Booth and Brennan had known Dr. Brooks for less than 12 hours but it wasn't hard to see that his face was long. He had news that no one would want to receive. He just shook his head at Brennan. "I'm very sorry," he said.

Brennan felt her stomach churn at the announcement. It was to be expected but it was still painful. She steeled herself. The results couldn't be changed but she would fight. Fighting was what she did best. "How progressed?" was her simple question.

Booth and Angela were both equally shocked at the question. True, they both knew that Temperance Brennan processed things at lightning speed but her resolve at this moment was truly impressive.

The doctor nodded. He was thankful for a patient that seemed to be composed in spite of the news he had to deliver. "It's considered normal for there be less than five percent blasts in the bone marrow. Your initial tests show at least 40 percent," he explained. "That explains why your platelet count was so low."

The anthropologist nodded. She wasn't a cellular biology or hematology expert but she certainly knew the human body well enough to understand the implications.

"We're going to get you started on ATRA tonight. I also want to get you on a steroid regimen to counter the infiltration in your lymph nodes and spleen," Brooks explained. "That wouldn't really change regardless of which leukemia we are looking at. We should have an official confirmation by Saturday evening. We'll start the rest of the chemo as soon as we get a diagnosis."

Brennan looked at her friend and her boyfriend. They both looked terrified. "Thank you," she said to Brooks.

"There is one other thing we need to discuss," Brooks said compassionately. "We need to get a port installed as soon as possible," the oncologist went on. "The chemo we will use if APL is what we are dealing with is very rough on your veins."

"I would prefer a port-a-cath," she stated quickly and definitively. She knew about ports and even though she would deny it at all costs, she was quite vain. The port would be in place for the foreseeable future and she still would have book signings to go to and formal events to attend. She didn't want attention drawn to herself because she had a series of wires protruding from her chest.

He laughed slightly at the anthropologist's strong will. "It's ultimately your decision," he conceded. "I would like to take get it implanted tomorrow morning if your counts cooperate. We have to wait a few days before using the port and getting it in tomorrow will mean fewer doses we have to give through your standard IV."

Brennan swallowed hard. It was all happening so fast but it couldn't be changed. "I understand."

Brooks stood up and shook Booth's hand. "I'll get the orders for your meds in now and the nurse will bring them in shortly. Try and rest. I'll have them check you in the morning and if your numbers look good, we'll take you in around 8:00," he directed his words to Booth and Brennan. "If you need something, let the nurse know."

"Thanks, Doc," Booth forced out before walking the doctor to the door. His thoughts were spiraling. He didn't know what to do or say. His stomach felt twisted and his heart felt crushed. He plopped on the coffee table in front of the ladies. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

Brennan didn't even have to think about her response. She knew what had to be done. "We do what we do best," she said. "We give this all we have." Deep down, she hoped it would be enough.

* * *

"You need any help?" Booth asked.

Brennan shook her head. "I'm quite capable of putting on pajamas on my own," she said rather sternly.

It was almost 11 pm and Brennan had been drifting in and out of sleep for past 45 minutes or so, ever since Angela had left. Finally, Booth had practically forced her to get changed and get in the bed. She had been insistent that she would go to bed after the nurse brought her medicines in but had finally folded when exhaustion began to fuzz her thoughts and speech.

Booth had to laugh slightly at her stubborn nature. "I know you are, Bones."

"You don't have a change of clothes or anything," she said as she carefully made her way across the room. Maneuvering was quite complicated with the pesky IV currently attached to her but she didn't want help. She'd allow it later but not now.

Booth smiled at her. "I'll go pick up a few things tomorrow," he said. "I'll be fine with just my boxers tonight and I have some extra clothes in the truck." There was no way he was leaving her alone.

She nodded at him and ducked into the restroom to handle her nighttime routine. It took her longer than usual to get her face washed and put on her pajamas. She was thankful that Angela had packed simple flannel pajama bottoms and tank tops. She was nervous she would have put in a bunch of teddies or sexually alluring clothes but seemed even the artist's playful tendencies had been staunched by th events of the day.

When she finished she opened the door and when she took one step out she felt her body contact 185 pounds of pure Booth. He immediatelly wrapped her in a hug and spoke. "Remember when I told you I'd let you hug me when I was scared?" he asked and immediately felt her nod against him. "I'm scared, Bones!" he croaked out just before the river of tears began to flow.

Neither of them could be sure how long they stood that way but they both allowed the emotions they had been pushing down all day to bubble to the surface. After a few minutes, he felt her wobble slightly. She was still so sick and he needed to be attentive to her needs. She was what mattered, the only thing that mattered at the moment. "let's get you in bed," he said gently and when she nodded he guided her into the bedroom and helped her get settled in the bed.

As soon as she was settled, a nurse entered the room. "How are we this evening?" she asked.

"I'm quite tired but my cough has improved significantly along with the muscle aches I was feeling earlier," Brennan explained. She was completely clinical. There was no room for emotion at the moment.

"Alright," the nurse replied. "I'm Jenna," she said. "I'm the charge nurse for the night shift. I'll be your nurse anytime I'm on shift' she explained. "Let me get your vitals and then I'll go get your meds."

She did just as she said and found that Brennan still had a slight fever but that wasn't major. It would probably clear up in the next day or so. Everything else was in order so she charted the information left for a moment but returned with a tray of medications all neatly packed in blister packs.

"Here are all the meds Brooks ordered for you. I can give you some pain meds or something to help you sleep too if you need it. Just let me know. He told me to give you a copy of the orders. Just let me know if you have questions. Sometimes people take a few minutes to take their first doses so I'll just leave them and come back and check on you later. If you need anything at all just holler," she finished. Booth and Brennan both cracked a slight smile.

"She definitely didn't grow up here," Booth said with a bit of a laugh in his voice.

"Based on some of her pronunciations, I would expect she grew up in the southern US," Brennan automatically shifted into anthropologist mode at the differing accent but after making her quick comment she focused on the meds now sitting on the rolling hospital table.

She looked at Booth's sullen face and realized that this was going to be hard. She had to have the medication in order to correct the problem with her malfunctioning bone marrow but she knew that this was just the first set of medications that would make her very, very sick and she hated being sick. She understood how chemotherapy worked but it was disheartening to know that the goal of the regimen would be to subject her body to just enough chemicals to rid the body of the cancerous cells and not kill her in the meantime.

She flipped over each of the blister packs and recognized most of the medications. There was a steroid just as Brooks had informed her, a basic analgesic which she would assume was to keep her fever at a manageable level, and there was an iron supplement. All of those medications were routine and could be found in any hospital room at any time. The last few blister packs, however, were different. Not only did they have larger warning symbols on the back of the packets but the pills themselves looked different. They were brightly colored, half red and half yellow. She wasn't one for finding symbolism in things but she wondered if the pharmaceutical manufacturers colored them that way because of the harsh side effects. It was almost as if the pills themselves were warning.

Booth noticed her musing and wanted to give her some time but he also knew she was tired, sick, and needed to rest. She'd probably already pushed it by staying up as late as she had. "Let me get you a fresh bottle of water," he said and he headed back to the sitting area to retrieve the plastic bottle from mini fridge. "Here," he said as he handed her the bottle.

Brennan took her time and opened each blister packet and swallowing their contents. When she was pretty sure she was shaking slightly when she came to the last packet. "Is it irrational for me to dread taking this medication?" she asked Booth. "I don't even have any evidence to show that it will have any side effects at all on my body."

He dipped down and placed a simple kiss on her head. "It would be irrational if you weren't nervous, Bones. Hell, I'm nervous and I don't have to swallow those damned things," he said allowing anger at the situation to travel with his voice.

She nodded at him, opened the blister packs, and swallowed the pills. The room was silent for a few seconds before Booth spoke. "Ummmm – you'd think it would have been a little more climatic," he said.

She gave him a smile and considered explaining to him the length of time pills remain in the digestive tract but opted against it. "It is what it is, I guess," she said.

"We'll be okay, Bones. I promise," Booth said. He then cupped her face in his hands and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. She just nodded, slid over in the bed, and allowed him to hold as she waited for sleep to pull her under.

**To be continued. . . **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N – I really don't have an excuse for the delay. All I can say is that I'm sorry and that I am going to make an effort to write more regularly. The beginning of the school year has been very hard this time around. It's taking all of us a lot of time to adjust. We seem to be getting there. I can say that I will finish all of my fics at some point. I don't leave things undone.**

**I've still struggled with why the response to this story is lower than some of my other stories. I actually consider it higher quality than my others so I'm going to attribute the lack of response to the sensitive content. If there is something about this story that I'm missing please let me know.**

**This chapter is a little shorter than average for me but it seemed like a good place to stop. I hope to have more soon.**

**Thanks so much to Junkiecat, Thnx4theGum, GCatsPJs, and Sirenizzed for their feedback and to MickeyBoggs for proofing.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think – good or bad.**

Disclaimer – I don't own Bones.

Chapter 15

Brennan sighed loudly and immediately turned her head toward Booth hoping that she hadn't woken him. She was relieved when he only took in a short breath which broke his rhythmic pattern but he quickly settled and with the gentle rise and fall of his chest she returned to her thoughts.

Her thoughts . . .her thoughts were the source of her brilliance but in some ways they were her downfall. Her thoughts never ceased and now they were keeping her from the rest she needed to be able to fight this. She had woken at 12:30 from a nightmare. Her body had physically responded to the images produced by her midbrain. She had been covered in a cold sweat and her heart rate had markedly increased. This time, unlike many others, she couldn't describe the dream exactly she just knew that it was startling but she'd had enough nightmares to know that it was probably centered around the death of a loved one. In most cases, their deaths were her fault in her dreams. The conditions changed, the person changed but the fault was always hers. Sometimes she wouldn't get there in time and others she just couldn't figure out how to reach them. She knew these dreams were just products of her overly active brain but that didn't stop them from haunting her.

She glanced at the clock again and saw that it was almost 2:00 am. She looked over at Booth who seemed to be sleeping somewhat soundly having released her an hour or so ago most likely because of her squirming. Brennan didn't blame him; at least one of them should sleep. She was the sick one but she was fairly certain that it might be harder on Booth than on her. She studied his face for a few moments as he slept. His brow was furrowed and somehow he looked older and more serious. Clearly a person couldn't age over night but somehow it seemed like they had both aged or grown up a little when they had received her tentative diagnosis.

After another few minutes she gave up sleeping or resting and extricated herself from the bed and carefully made her way into the sitting area. She put a few pillows next to Booth hoping that the change in temperature wouldn't automatically rouse him from his slumber.

She turned on the simple lamp on the table and pulled her laptop out. She had some people she had to inform of her situation. She also had some legal bases she needed to cover. On a personal level, she needed to figure out how to tell her dad and Russ. They both worried about her all the time and probably assumed, as she did, that it would be some deranged serial killer to get her and not the malfunctioning of the mitotic processes of her own blood cells.

Contemplating where to start, she tapped her fingers on her laptop a few times before opening her email. '_It has to be done, Temperance,' _she told herself and then set to work.

Thirty minutes later, she had managed to email her publisher, her accountant, and her attorney. She knew it wasn't common practice but she asked them to meet with her on Saturday. She was assuming that she'd have her port placement in a few hours and wasn't sure if she'd be fit to meet people after undergoing anesthesia. She figured asking for a Saturday meeting wasn't absurd considering the amount of money she paid yearly to each of them. She usually didn't ask for out of the ordinary things but a cancer diagnosis wasn't something that was ordinary.

Just as she hit send on the final email, the door to her room opened. "Finally give up trying to sleep and come out here?" the nurse asked.

Brennan simply nodded and put her laptop on the coffee table to allow the nurse better access to check her vitals.

"You know," Jenna said, "you should be sleeping." Her southern twang oozed through her words. "How'd you manage to get out of bed without waking up your body guard?"

"He sleeps like a rock when he's really tired," Brennan explained. "He may claim to have sniper reflexes but when he reaches a certain point in his sleep cycle, he won't wake up." She finished speaking and then put her head back to rest against the back of the couch as Jenna slipped the blood pressure cuff on her arm.

"You feeling alright?" the nurse questioned as she increased the pressure on the cuff.

Brennan pulled her head back up slightly embarrassed for having shown a hint of weakness. "I'm fine, . . . Jenna," she said hesitantly as she squinted to look at her ID badge. She needed to make a conscious effort to call the hospital staff by name. It was the least she could do for them.

"Well, now," Jenna said with a slight tinge of sarcasm in her tone. "Since you are '_fine' _would you like me to get something that will help you sleep?"

The sarcasm in her tone reminded Brennan of Caroline in some ways. She knew that the nurse was quite capable and surprisingly enough didn't find her tone bothersome. She took it as a slightly protective tendency. Caroline was that way; she showed her concern and possibly affections differently than most. '_Maybe it's a southern norm,'_ Brennan thought and made a mental note to research it when she had the opportunity.

She stopped pondering norms and social tendencies long enough to answer the posited question. "No. Thank you, though. I'd rather not at this point," she explained and was immediately greeted with a nod and a thermometer being placed under her tongue.

"I can get you some tea or a Coke or something if you'd like," Jenna said as the thermometer beeped.

"I don't drink Coke," was Brennan's simple reply.

Jenna just giggled. "I mean soda. I forget that everyone around her says soda. In Texas, we say Coke for anything fizzy and in a can. We get Pepsis out of a Coke machine."

"Ah, I understand. The term Coke has become generalized and is no longer used as a brand name."

"100.1. Much better but I'm going to keep you on the fever reducer." She worked as she spoke and pulled out her stethoscope to listen to her patient's chest. "Your lungs sound clear too. Brooks has you on the good stuff. Looks like that funk is on its way out."

"I certainly feel markedly better," Brennan agreed.

Jenna sat back on the coffee table in front of Brennan. She'd finished checking everything. "I wish I could say that it would stay that way, darlin'," she said as she placed a compassionate hand on Brennan's. "Just know that we are all here to help you. You just have to let us."

"Booth always says that," she responded with a sigh. "It's not always easy for me to let people help me. I enjoy a certain degree of independence."

"There's a fine line between independence and stupidity," she replied with a slight laugh. "Just know that I'm going to call you on it if you cross the line to stupidity."

Brennan laughed. "Would I be able to take a walk or anything?" she asked. She was feeling slightly restless and jittery. A little air might help her to relax a bit.

"No dizziness?" Jenna asked clinically and Brennan replied with a head shake. "Just be careful and stay on this floor. We are set up with monitoring cameras and there's a call button every ten feet or so in the hallway. If you feel shaky or dizzy, have a seat and we'll come help you."

The anthropologist nodded. She was thankful for the simple comforts this hospital seemed to afford to its patients.

"I'll unhook you from your fluids for a few minutes. Your antibiotics are done for a while and that way you won't have to worry about that pole."

"Thank you," Brennan said and allowed the nurse to unhook her from the restricting tubes and within a few minutes she found herself wandering through the ward.

Gordon Wyatt had told her, essentially, that she couldn't handle aimless but for approximately 30 minutes, that's exactly what she was aimless. She ambled through the long corridors and stopped at several of the memorials that had been set up in honor of major donors, doctors, and memorable patients. She spent a few minutes considering the lives of the people who have walked those same corridors and wondered how she would be remembered. Seeing the memorials made it seem more real to her. She could very well end up as a memorial. How she would be remembered was the question.

She plopped harshly onto a bench across from a simple memorial to a middle aged lady. Jenna must have noticed her sit down because she appeared a the end of the hallway approximately 20 feet from where Brennan sat.

"Worn out already?" she chimed as she began to approach. She had seen Brennan sit down and protocol told her to check on her patient.

"No, I just stopped to think. I'm fine," Temperance assured her and Jenna responded by turning and heading back down the hallway.

With her exit, Brennan returned to her thoughts. '_Who's going to be proud of you?'_ echoed through her mind and caused a few tears to escape her eyes. It seemed like that conversation had been eons ago but it was really just over two years earlier. She should have read all the subtle cues then. Maybe if she had she would have admitted her feelings to Booth earlier and they could have spent more time together.

'_Time,' _ she thought and let out an audible sigh. The word scared her because she didn't know how much more she had. She could very well have a severe reaction to the anesthesia she would soon be given or react negatively to a chemotherapy regimen. Nothing was guaranteed. Cancer wasn't like bones. Bones were predictable. Every protuberance and suture could be easily located and described. Cancers were different. The malfunctioning cells acted like lunatic drivers, unpredictable and deadly.

She figured she had pondered unanswerable questions long enough and hoisted herself from her position on the bench and headed in the direction of her room. She trailed her hand along the railings of the wall and stopped as she passed a doorway from which a very soft, very tender music escaped. The label read 'chapel' so she knew she wouldn't go in but simply seeing the candles and pews reminded her of Booth's steadfast faith.

If she had stayed any less time she might not have noticed it, but her lingering allowed her attention to be drawn to a familiar entity. It was a head full of tousled, dark, slightly curly hair. This hair, which sat upon a rather small cranium and a small framed individual, could only belong to one person. She would have never expected to find this particular person in the chapel of the hospital even if it wasn't 4 in the morning.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N – I don't have to apologize this time. It's been less than 24 hours and I'm posting another chapter. I know it won't be like this on a regular basis but I am going to try and be more regular with the posting. **

**Thanks for all the kind words about the last chapter and the story as a whole. I am enjoying writing this one. I hope I can continue to be accurate and sensitive to the topic. As I've mentioned before, it's one that is near and dear to my usually unemotional heart.**

**Please continue to let me know what you think. Have a great holiday.**

**Thanks to Thnx4theGum, GCatsPJs, Ceeray3, Junkiecat, and Sirenizzed for helping with ideas and to the master grammar editor MickeyBoggs for her proofing skills. **

Disclaimer – I don't own Bones.

Chapter 16

Brennan managed to stifle her inquisitive nature and instead of blurting out a question she quietly entered the chapel, took a seat two rows behind the person, and waited. She wasn't sure if they sensed her presence or not. She knew that prayer and meditation could hold a person completely captive for quite a long time and for the moment, she was willing to wait.

After a few minutes of waiting, she let out a yawn and decided that she should go back to her room and try and go back to sleep. Booth would be beside himself if he woke and she was missing. She stood and turned toward the exit when she heard the all too familiar voice. "Dr. Brennan?" It was uttered in questioning form as if the person was surprised to see her there even though he clearly knew she had been admitted to the hospital earlier today.

"Even though I may sound ungrateful, Sweets, I'm just going to ask. What are you doing here?" Her tone was sensitive and soft but made it clear that she wanted an answer. She sat back on the bench immediately after asking. She finally felt as though she might be able to sleep but she could tell that Sweets needed her to listen for a few minutes.

"I went home earlier but found it hard to sleep," Sweets explained. "I came here to think and maybe clear my mind a little. I didn't expect to encounter either you or Agent Booth," he went on. "I was going to leave before either of you woke."

"I couldn't sleep," was her simple reply and the psychologist just nodded in understanding. "What's in the bag?" she questioned and cut her eyes to the black duffle bag on the floor next to his bench.

"Oh," he said nervously. "I . . . I umm called Agent Booth's assistant and got his key from the FBI. They keep one for all of the field agents in case of emergencies. I went by and picked up a few things for him. I know that I probably overstepped my boundaries but it's the least I can do considering," he stopped before he gave away too much. He assumed that the agent had shared all of the information about his questionable practices and insensitive remarks with Dr. Brennan but the look on her face conveyed confusion so maybe he had been wrong.

"I'm sure he will appreciate that. He is quite adamant about not leaving yet. I'm hoping after I have my procedure in the morning that he will take some time to do a few things for himself," she commented. She felt an array of emotions regarding Booth's insistence on staying. She wanted him with her more than anything but she hated that she would hold him back from his usual roles as a FBI Agent and father.

"Port placement?" was his simple question.

Brennan was slightly taken aback by his inference. "Not to minimize your medical knowledge, Sweets, but I find it highly unlikely that my doctors broke HIPAA law to give you that information and I also doubt you have spoken to Angela. How were you able infer that the procedure I'm having is port placement?"

Sweets cracked a slight smile. "You just totally busted me, Dr. Brennan."

"I don't know what that means," she responded.

"My knowledge of oncology is from. . ." he stammered a little trying to find the words to say. "My knowledge is personal."

"You were an oncology patient?" Brennan asked. "I would have never suspected based on your general appearance of impeccable health."

He let out a slight laugh. "Always wicked literal," he said. "Not me, my mom. . .my adopted mom," he elaborated. "She was diagnosed with leukemia just as I was finishing up my dissertation," he went on. "I managed to finish my defense quickly and then went home for a few months. I was actually supposed to start at the FBI over the summer but I waited until after. . ." He caught himself before he finished. He knew that the words he almost allowed to pass over his lips would be disheartening. He had come to terms with his situation but didn't want his experience to discourage the constantly thinking anthropologist.

Brennan finished for him, "After she passed away?"

Sweets' brow furrowed slightly as the thoughts spiraled through his head. "I'm sorry Dr. Brennan," he said tentatively. "I don't know that I should be talking. . ."

She cut him off again. "Sweets," she said firmly. "I don't place much stock in psychology and I know that you are concerned that your story will negatively impact my treatment and potential recover but I would like to hear your story. I do know the statistics and hematological cancers are the cause of the deaths of many adults every year. I highly doubt hearing the story of your mother will cause me to fall victim to my disease any sooner." Her words were fairly stern and were convincing to Sweets. She just wished she believed them fully herself.

He took in a sharp breath. He hadn't shared his story with many people. Daisy knew and he had told Dr. Wyatt but in some ways he was like Brennan. He kept many things private as a protective measure. He was about to open the entire can with a very literal anthropologist. "She passed away that summer. I spent a lot of time at the hospital with her and with my dad. I learned a lot about medical terminology and blood counts. More than I ever wanted to know."

As backwards as it may have seemed, Brennan placed a supportive hand on Sweets' arm. He took in another breath and went on. "It was hard on both of us. Every time they brought in a lab report that didn't show improvement it was like a part of my dad died. I learned a lot from my parents. They basically saved me and were patient with me when no one else wanted me. My dad loved my mom with every ounce of his being. He was a quiet man and didn't always show emotion but . . . but everyone knew he loved her."

Brennan just nodded. She understood and she could relate. She had seen the same display of affection from her father. She could tell that he had a true emotional attachment to her mom and she had noticed many similarities with the way Booth treated her. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loved her. She loved Booth back in the same way. She would do anything to spare him even an ounce of hurt or pain. She knew that was the definition of true, non-chemical love.

Sweets took her nod as approval to continue. This point, however, was where the story got hard. "Finally, they told us there was nothing more they could do. The . . . the chemo was doing a pretty good job of killing her and they couldn't get her in remission so . . . we took her home."

"I know you don't appreciate psychology but she died happy. She had a strong belief in God but I knew she was worried about Dad – all the way to her last breath. They were together for almost 60 years and their relationship was amazing. It was like she knew that she was taking a part of him with her when she died. She tried to hold on for him but the cancer took her anyway," he said and a few tears rolled down his cheek.

"I'm sure that must have been hard to watch," Brennan commented in her best, compassionate tone.

Sweets swallowed the lump in his throat. That's what scared him. He loved Daisy but not the way his dad loved his mom. He'd only truly seen that kind of love one other time in his life and it was in Booth. Agent Booth loved Dr. Brennan the way his dad loved his mom. The love was pure, selfless, and infinite. Now, he had to face the fact that his actions for the sake of research may have caused them to have less time to enjoy their love. He'd always taken their relationship for granted and assumed they'd end up like his parents, together for 60 years. Now he had to face the fact that if Brennan ended up like his mother, they would most likely only have 60 days. He couldn't deal with having that kind of detrimental impact on any human beings especially not Booth and Brennan.

"As twisted as it sounds, that was probably the easy part. We were so wrapped up with all the medical mumbo jumbo that we didn't really have time to think about anything," Sweets admitted. "The hard part started the day after the funeral."

"Your dad didn't handle it well?" Brennan questioned.

"For someone who hates psychology, you are pretty good at predicting human responses," he said.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "Anthropologically speaking, the surviving portion of a lifelong partnership struggles after the death of its mate. That's not . . ." she paused as her own words hit her like a metaphorical freight train.

Sweets saw the color drain from her face and immediately became concerned that she was going to be sick. "Are you okay, Dr. Brennan?" he asked.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm fine. I just . . . " she struggled to find a medically valid excuse but eventually got there. "I just experienced a slight instance of hypotension," she explained. "I'm fine now, I should just use some caution when I prepare to stand up." That explanation would divert attention from the fact that her emotions just got the best of her. "That. . .that type of response to a death is not abnormal for the animal kingdom," she said clinically through gritted teeth.

Sweets was still a bit concerned for her well being but decided to finish up and then he'd make sure she got back to her room. "No, my dad didn't handle Mom's death well. He could barely eat and I'm pretty sure he didn't sleep much. He'd battled high blood pressure for years and one morning, just before I was supposed to move to DC, he collapsed and there was nothing that could be done. He died almost instantly."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Sweets. They sound as though they were exemplary human beings," Brennan offered.

"They were one of the best examples of true love I've ever seen. Maybe someday I'll write a book about them," he said.

Brennan was still in a light-headed haze but managed to continue the conversation. She picked up on the 'one of' portion of Sweets' statement. "You've seen true love like that again?" she prodded.

Sweets simply nodded and she immediately got the message. '_Booth . . .'_ she thought to herself. It was then that she knew she had to make a commitment. She hated psychology but she knew that it was possible that if this thing – this cancer – got the best of her it might kill Booth. If not physically, she knew it would rip his heart out. She couldn't allow that. She couldn't bear the thought of Parker growing up without a dad because she allowed her body to fail her, to fail them. "Thanks for sharing Sweets. It helps me know what I need to do."

He nodded. "Dr. Brennan," he swallowed again. "I need to apologize to you and Agent Booth but I'm not sure that my talking to him would be a good idea right now. Please tell him that I'm sorry and that if there is anything I can do to make things up to you guys, just let me know."

She didn't know what had happened but knew that if he was afraid to speak to Booth, it must have been bad. "I'll tell him," she said. "You don't have to worry about Booth. I'm sure whatever it is can be forgiven. He doesn't hold grudges."

"Thanks, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said and stood. He offered her a hand to help her stand up. "Let me make sure you get back to your room okay."

She didn't protest. She probably didn't require assistance but she was still feeling a little shaky from her reeling emotions and the lack of sleep.

The pair walked in silence down the corridor and when they reached the door, Sweets held it open for her to step inside. He placed Booth's bag on the floor and turned to leave. As he felt the cool of the metal from the knob on his hand he heard a very protective, very angry voice.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sweets?" Booth practically yelled.

Brennan saw the anger raging through his features and stepped in front of her boyfriend. "It's alright, Booth. He just brought a bag for you at the request of the bureau. He's heading home now and I think I'd like to get back to bed now," she knew that would calm him some.

"Goodnight, Dr. Sweets," she said as she stepped in toward Booth and initiated a hug.

As the embrace started, it was as if no one else on the plant existed or mattered. It was simply the two of them occupying the same space. "I love you, Booth," Brennan said simply. "I'll love you until I'm old and gray." It wasn't her usual scientific language. It was a promise-her promise that she would be there for him and that this cancer wouldn't be the death of both of them.

**Hope you enjoyed it. If you get a chance, leave a review.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N – I managed to get another update ready. I am not sure when the next one will come but feel free to harass until it shows up. I'll try to get it up by the end of the weekend but my days are going to be crazy for the rest of the week.**

**Thank you so much for all of the feedback on the last chapter. The story seems to be well received and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. I've been accused of ripping people's hearts out which I find amusing considering I am one of the least emotional people on the planet. I'm writing this one based on a mixture of research, stories, and personal experiences. I hope it continues to mix into a good read.**

**Thanks so much to Thnx4theGum, GCatsPJs, Sirenizzed, Junkiecat and Ceeray3 for helping out and to MickeyBoggs for proofing. This story is much better because of these ladies.**

**Please continue to let me know what you think.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 17

"Are you alright?" Booth asked as he released her a little from the hug. He could hold her forever and be perfectly content but he also knew that something must have prompted that kind of emotional admission from her. He didn't anticipate an answer but he wanted to try.

"Mmmhmm," she mumbled. "I'm ready for this," she continued, "but I'd really like to get in the bed now." It was now 5:05 am and she knew that in typical hospital fashion activity would soon begin and vitals checks would become more frequent and there was the small matter of port placement that would soon need to be discussed. Rest would be hard to come by for the foreseeable future.

Booth didn't need a second invitation. He loosened his grip slightly and practically carried her to bed. She was out like a light very quickly and Booth just held her. His eyes were fixed on her and the consistent rise and fall of her chest. She was sleeping differently than she had been earlier. It was as if some type of weight had been lifted from her and she had found some type of peace in the midst of the storm.

"Oh Bones," he said quietly as he pulled her a little closer to him, close enough that he could smell the lingering scent of her coconut milk shampoo. "I'd take this one for you if I could but obviously I can't. I promise you, though, that I will be there for you through all of this and then I'm going to take you on some vacation somewhere that you will call a tourist trap and make you wear some revealing swim suit just so I can ogle you," he said as he placed a kiss on her hairline. She instinctively nuzzled a little closer to him and he tightened his embrace.

He watched her sleep for a little while longer and when he finally took his eyes off her sleeping form to check the clock he saw that it was 5:50. As if on cue, Jenna knocked lightly on the door. "Finally fell back asleep?" she said.

"She's out," Booth said with a wan smile. "She sleeps like a rock when she gives in." He knew the nurse needed to do a few things so he carefully climbed off the bed and took a seat right next to the bed. He took her small hand in his and began to rub it unconsciously.

Jenna laughed lightly as she busied herself a bit. "Funny – she said the same thing about you."

"I was a sniper," he protested. "I wake up at the drop of a pin. My reflexes are very, very good."

"She said that you'd say that," the southern nurse kidded. She couldn't help but fall in love with the pair. She hadn't seen much interaction between the two of them yet but individually they seem to be fine people.

"Yeah, well, I guess she knows me and I know better than to argue with Bones," he conceded. "What are you doing?" he asked as he noticed her hooking Brennan back to the IV, checking her temperature and doing a few other checks.

"Protective one, aren't we?" Jenna teased. "I'm hooking her back up to fluids and antibiotics. I'm also going to draw a couple of vials of blood so that we can make sure she's doing well enough to have the port placed."

Booth nodded but also thought of a couple of questions. Unfortunately, he'd been in the hospital enough to know that some young kid from the lab usually collected blood samples. "Don't they send people around to do that kind of stuff?" he asked.

"We're set up a little bit different around here," she explained as she sat in the chair next to the bed. "When they built this wing, they set it up so that we were almost completely self-contained. We take all our own blood samples and send them through tubes to the central lab. We have food prepped on our floor and have our own housekeeping crew. It's the best way to protect our patients from infections."

The precautions were reassuring but still made his stomach twist slightly. He hated that they had to be here and that there had to be so many safeguards in place to protect her. He was supposed to protect her.

Jenna must have sensed his nerves because she glanced at Brennan with a compassionate expression on her face. "She's a tough one," she said.

"You have no idea," he responded and pulled Brennan's hand up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

The nurse stood and glanced at the vial of rich, red blood she had drawn and then back to Booth. "I'm going to get this to the lab. We'll know something fairly quickly."

Booth couldn't be certain why he asked his next question-maybe it was the fact that he almost instantly trusted Jenna's southern, genuine personality or if it was the fact that he was so nervous he would have asked anyone. "She's going to be okay, right?" he asked.

Jenna studied her patient for a moment and then cut her eyes back to the most in love and most protective man she had ever seen (and she had seen a lot of them). At first take, the question only applied to the upcoming procedure but when she read his eyes she knew he was looking for some reassurance. In nursing school and in-service trainings they always told them not to give a patient's family false hope. '_There are no guarantees when it comes to cancer,'_ they'd always say. This time, however, something inside her told her that this would all work out eventually and that these two would beat this thing. She took a breath and answered. "She's going to be fine. Just be there for her. I head out in a few minutes. Buzz if you need anything. Liz will be here soon and will let you know something as soon as the labs are back." With that, she left the room.

He wasn't sure why the words of the nurse were so reassuring, but they were. He felt some relief rush through his veins as she made her exit. He took Brennan's hand, pulled it to his forehead, and waited patiently for her to wake or for a medical professional to interrupt the silence.

* * *

"Hey," Booth said as he started awake. Brennan's hand was still in his and he instinctively checked her over. He hadn't intended to fall back to sleep but it just happened. He supposed watching her chest rise and fall had lulled him to sleep.

"Labs are back," Liz said and waited for Booth to give her a little more of a signal that he was actually awake before going any further.

He pulled his hand over his sleep laden face and sighed. "Is she ready?" he asked simply.

Liz nodded and started to check Brennan's vitals again and Booth laughed a little bit as he thought, '_Wonder how long it's going to take for Bones to slap someone away from her during a vitals check.'_

Liz spoke as she worked. "Her platelets are up which was the primary concern. She's stable now and not at risk of bleeding out so Brooks wants to go ahead and get it implanted." She contemplated telling him that if they waited until later she might not be strong enough to even have the simple surgical procedure. She'd seen what chemo did to the strong ones and it was obvious that Brennan was strong.

"What time and how long will it take?" Booth asked simply.

The nurse checked the clock. "She's scheduled for 8:30 but they tend to be late. The procedure will take an hour or so and then she'll be in recovery for a little while. She'll probably be back up her around lunch time."

Booth checked his watch. It was almost 8:00. He didn't know if he should wake her or let her sleep. Angela would probably be walking in soon so he figured waking her up would be the best thing. She'd want to know what was going on anyway.

Liz exited quietly and Booth worked on waking his girlfriend. "Bones," he said gently as he kissed her temple. "Bones, wake up. Angela will be here soon."

She started to stir and he walked across the room and gently opened the blinds. He knew that she loved sunlight especially the morning sun. She might be complicated to the casual observer but to those that knew her on a more intimate level she was beautifully simplistic – daisies, snickerdoodles, and sunlight simplistic.

As the sun trickled in, a smile grew on her face. "Hi," she said sleepily. "Time is it?"

"Almost 8," he said as he sat on the bed and pulled her toward him. He ran her fingers through her hair and they just sat quietly for a short few seconds. He broke the silence so she didn't have to. He knew the question was brewing. "Liz just left."

"Port?" she asked as she turned in toward his chest a bit.

He wrapped her up with his strong arms knowing she needed the security. "8:30," he explained. "Shouldn't take long and you'll be fine."

"I know," was her sure answer.

Booth was a little surprised at the normally skeptical anthropologist's calm attitude and wiliness to assume the best. "You want me to call your dad and see if he can get here before. . ." he started to ask.

She cut him off with a kiss. "No need. I can call him later. His presence will only aid in increasing my blood pressure," she teased. She didn't know why she could be so calm, so sure of the outcome but she was. It was a nice feeling. People would probably accuse her of having faith. '_They can call it what they want,' _she thought to herself._ 'I am making a promise; a commitment and I always keep my commitments._'

"Alright then, Bones," he was always amazed at how her brain worked. He was happy that she seemed to be in a good mood and amazed at her resolve. She was an amazing woman in every respect. "What do you want to do?"

"Well, I would like to have sexual intercourse with you but I can't imagine that would be very wise considering the situation," she said.

If Booth had been drinking or eating he would have spewed particles into the air. "Jesus, Bones," he yelped. "People might hear you."

Brennan laughed, began to wiggle from his grasp and hoist herself out of the bed. "You are such a prude, Agent Booth. I'm sure everyone knows that we are sexually active," she teased further. "I can assure you that I will no longer require Angela's assistance in writing my novels."

"Bones, really?" he practically begged her to change the subject. His good Catholic boy shyness was in full swing.

"Fine, I'll just go brush my teeth," she said as she padded her way to the bathroom carefully dragging her IV with her.

As she walked away she was pretty sure she heard Booth mumbling but the actual words didn't register until after she had closed the bathroom door. When she finally put the puzzle together she was fairly certain he had said, '_Remind me to ask Jenna what the hell she put in your IV.'_

**Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N – Sorry for the wait. As I've said before, life gets in the way, but I will finish. Thanks for hanging in there with me.**

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews of the last chapter. I'm still a little surprised at the slight decrease in reviews for this story compared to my others. I hope that's not a reflection of the reception of this fic and it's simply just a lack of reviews. Please continue to let me know what you think. I really value your feedback.**

**Hopefully this chapter is a little bit of fun in the midst of a serious fic. I have lots of serious stuff coming but just hang in there with me. I make sure it all works out in the end.**

**Thanks so much for MickeyBoggs, GCatsPJs, Junkiecat, Sirenizzed, and Thnx4thegum for their help in this story. You ladies are the best.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 18

The room was eerily silent, too silent for Booth's liking, especially when he sat amongst this particular group of squints. Hodgins wasn't fussing about politics, Angela wasn't drawing on the back of a napkin or a pamphlet, and Cam wasn't actually drinking the coffee she held with two hands. They were all simply staring at nothing.

Booth checked his watch and let out a sigh before walking over to the window and opening the blinds with two fingers. What he saw angered him. The sun was shining and people were smiling despite the fact that they were in a hospital parking lot. He knew that it was stupid but he didn't understand how anyone could smile when the woman he loved currently had a tube down her throat getting port implanted so that the doctors could put chemicals in her that were so strong that they would burn and irritate her delicate veins if they put them through her arm. To him, she was the world and he didn't see how the world could continue to function while she was hurt.

The others in the room noticed the anger radiating from him when he snapped the blinds shut, turned on his heel and then unconsciously kicked the wall behind him.

Angela decided to break the silence. "Brennan would be pissed if she knew we were all sitting around here moping," she said with a forced laugh.

Booth smiled at the simple thought. "Yeah, well," he responded. "You squints can tell her you didn't bring her any work. Bones gets grumpy when she doesn't feel good."

"No kidding," Hodgins chimed in. "She fired an administrative assistant one time when she had a cold," he laughed. "Goodman had to have her reassigned to the Central American Research Department."

If it had been another time or another place, Booth might have laughed. Instead he just nodded and shifted back to worrying. He worried that she was cold on the table. He worried that she'd wake up feeling sick or scared or alone. He simply worried.

"Seeley," Cam spoke. "Can we get anything for you?" she asked as she walked up to him and put a supportive hand on his upper arm.

Her compassion shook him a little and he felt the tears threaten to fill his eyes. He simply shook his head. "I'm fine.

"We all know that's not true," she replied. "But we all know you will be. One day at a time, Seeley. Today is a simple procedure. She should be coming back in soon."

"I know," he said with a sigh. "It's just. . . this is Bones, we're talking about." He wanted to say that she's never sick, that she's the person who could be shot and then back at work as soon as she's stitched up but he decided that some things didn't have to be said.

"Exactly, Big Guy," Cam said sternly. "This is Brennan you are talking about." That's all she needed to say.

"Thanks, Camille," Booth replied with the first genuine smile he had given all day.

"Don't call me Camille, Seeley," the medical examiner quipped.

"Don't call me Seeley," was his simple reply. He figured he had done enough wallowing for the day and decided to make himself useful. He looked at his watch and saw that she had been taken back about an hour earlier. He had a little less than two hours before she'd be completely finished. "I'll be back in an hour guys. If they say a word about Bones, call me or I will shoot you." With that, he was out the door.

Hodgins, Cam, and Angela exchanged glances before all cracking smiles. Hodgins broke the silence. "Well, at least we know he's okay if he is threatening to shoot us," he said causing the trio to erupt into mood lightening laughter.

* * *

"She did very well," Liz said as she entered the room to find Cam, Angela, and Hodgins still seated and Booth unpacking a few bags in the kitchenette area.

"When can I see her?" Booth asked as he closed the small refrigerator.

Liz cracked a smile. "Now if you want to come with me. She's just starting to wake up," she said with a smile. "Does she talk in her sleep normally?"

"When she's really, really tired she does," Booth answered. "What did she say?"

"Something about a purple elephant," Liz replied.

"Figures," Booth said as he followed Liz out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Angela spoke. "I am definitely going to have to grill Brennan a little more about their little undercover assignments later. She left out a few details."

Smiles grew on the faces of all three of them as the nurse walked out. Booth's awareness of Brennan's sleeping habits were surprising and not surprising at the same time. They had been together indirectly for quite a while and they were all glad they finally made the jump to an official relationship before the cancer bombshell. They weren't sure that either of them could make it through this alone.

"Hey," Brennan croaked as she cracked her eyes open and saw Booth entering her room.

Booth gently sat on the edge of her bed. He noticed her inhale and exhale as if she was fighting nausea or dizziness but he didn't comment. He simply leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers. "I love you," he said.

"Mmmm, me too," she responded before letting her eye lids slide shut again. They were unnaturally heavy and she didn't really have the energy to fight it.

He took her hand in his and immediately noticed that her hands were chillier than normal. He'd held her hand so many times that he knew they were always cool but not as cold as they were now. "You cold, Bones?" he asked.

She gave him a slight nod without opening her eyes. He grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed and tucked it around her frame. "Thanks," she said with a scratchy voice. She still didn't open her eyes.

Liz came back in a few minutes later. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"I'm fine," was Brennan's answer. She did make the effort to sit up a little more in the bed despite the fact that her head was throbbing in time and she was experiencing a moderate bout of nausea.

"You know, Temperance, I can get you something to make you more comfortable. You don't have to impress us with your pain tolerance." Liz explained.

"Her head hurts," Booth said.

"Booth!" Brennan protested as loudly as the pounding inside her head would allow. "I didn't tell you that and I certainly didn't ask you to rat me in," she continued with more fire than she'd had all day.

"It's rat me out, Bones," he protested back. "And, you don't have to tell me when your head hurts. I figured that one out a long time ago. You do this little scrunchie thing with your forehead."

"Booth," her voice still raspy from the tube, "That is a completely illogical method to determine the presence of cephalgia."

"Listening to you two is like listening to my parents," Liz butted in. "They've been married for 40 years and are still as in love as they were when they got married. How long have you two been together?"

"Five years," the partners said in unison as if they had discussed their answer ahead of time.

"Not married yet?" Liz prodded as she listened to Brennan's heart.

"Marriage is an arch. . ." Brennan started to give her typical spill about how marriage was an archaic ritual that wasn't required to prove a person's love but was interrupted by a bolt of pain that shot through her frontal and temporal lobes. She used her IV free hand to apply some pressure to the offending area.

Booth immediately removed her hand and took up massaging gentle circles on her head. He knew how bad anesthesia could make a person feel. He'd had his share of medical procedures. He laughed a little when he thought, '_I'll take a headache over her being in a coma for 5 days. I can help with the headache._'

"Let me just get you a pain reliever," Liz said. "Do you think you can handle swallowing a capsule?"

Brennan shook her head. "I'd rather not take anything intravenously or orally. The pain will subside and I'd really just like to sleep for little while to allow my body to overcome the pain," Brennan said as she relaxed under the pressure of Booth's fingers. He began to move and she immediately whined. "Don't stop, please," she said with closed eyes.

Booth didn't hesitate continuing. He only shrugged a little at Liz and the nurse sighed in defeat. This patient was going to be one of the stubborn ones. The good thing was that the stubborn ones seemed to walk out of the building and some of the weaker ones never left. It was a good sign to her experienced mind.

"Alright," the nurse said. "Your heart rate and blood pressure are still a little bit sluggish so I'm going to keep you up here and on the monitors for another half hour at least," she explained. "Try to get her to eat some ice," she said as she poured some ice into a cup and sat it on the rolling table with a spoon. "I'll be back in a few." She then flipped off the bright light in the room and closed the door behind her as she walked out.

* * *

"You had Liz give me something after I fell asleep," Brennan said before she even opened her eyes. She knew he was there. She didn't have to look.

"Just relax Bones," he said with a sly smile. Her waking with a feisty attitude made him happy. "As your trusty medical proxy, I can make those decisions when you are out like a light."

"Thank you," she replied. She could have fussed but her head felt better and she was truly thankful that he had overridden her stubbornness. "Where is everyone else?" she asked.

"Went to grab an early dinner or late lunch," he explained. He had urged them to leave once they knew she was fine. He figured she wouldn't be up for a lot of conversation for a few hours anyway. "They'll be back in a little bit."

She simply nodded as he tucked a few hairs behind her ear very gently. "What time is it?" she asked.

He laughed at her always questioning mind set. "Almost 4," he said simply. "Are you hungry?"

"Maybe," Brennan replied, unsure if she could handle anything heavy.

A smile grew on Booth's face. "I have just the thing for you," he said as he clapped his hands together. "I'll be right back."

His hasty exit confused Brennan. She could hear him in the other room. She used the button on the bed to sit up further and her curious nature wanted climb out of the bed and go see what he could be up to. She realized, though, that she'd need to nurse to disconnect her from a few things before she could truly start moving around. She slid to the edge of the bed and allowed her socked feet to hang over. When she was sure she was alright and that the room wasn't spinning, she hit the nurse call button.

"What's wrong?" Booth said nervously as he jumped in front of Liz and entered the bedroom area before the trained medical professional.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Booth. I was just going to see if I was past the mandatory post operative observation period and could get dressed."

Liz just laughed. "Sure," she said. "Let me kick your body guard out and I'll get all those wires off of you." She turned and looked at Booth who in turn looked at Brennan.

Another eye roll followed by a nod of Brennan's head was all it took for him to turn and walk out.

* * *

When Hodgins, Cam, and Angela returned, they found Booth and Brennan seated at the small table. "Hey!" Hodgins said in a whiney tone. "Where'd you guys get good food? The only thing good in the cafeteria is the pudding. They have to put cards in front of everything else so you can tell the meatloaf from the green beans."

"Hodgins, it's not that bad," Angela said as she swatted him on the shoulder.

Booth laughed a little. "I made a little trip over to Mama's. She hooked me up with some stuff for Bones."

"It's very good," Brennan chimed. "Would you guys like some?"

"No thanks, Dr. Brennan," Cam said. "I had some of the purple from the cafeteria. I should be good for at least a few days. You look as though you are feeling better."

"I am. Thanks for being here, Cam." Brennan said genuinely.

Cam smiled and walked over to give Brennan a hug. "I need to get home to Michelle but I'll come by tomorrow. Has Dr. Brooks been by yet?"

"Not yet," Brennan answered plainly. "I don't anticipate any news until tomorrow evening anyway. It's Friday and I'd imagine that the labs would work more slowly since most people don't enjoy working weekends."

"Call if you guys need anything," the medical examiner added as she walked over to Booth for a hug.

He stood and gave her a hug. "We will. Thanks, Cam."

When Cam was gone, there was an awkward silence for a few minutes as Brennan and Booth finished their dinners. Booth broke the silence as soon as he finished. "Let me get all of this cleaned up and we can watch a movie or something," he said.

"They have a video library here?" Brennan asked.

Booth laughed a little. "They do but they don't have anything good. I ran a few errands while you were having . . ." he paused, unable to force himself to say the word surgery. "While you were having your procedure, I picked up my clothes and stocked the pantry. I even got those fruit snack things I buy for Parker that you like."

"I do not like –"Brennan began to protest but Booth interrupted.

"Sure you don't, Bones." He said with a smirk. "I guess the purple elephants ate them and that's why Parker fussed last time he came over and they were all gone."

Brennan huffed, obviously defeated, "They are quite appealing even though they are mostly additives and preservatives."

Hodgins and Angela looked at each other with cheeky grins. "What are we watching?" Hodgins asked.

"Bones told me one time that she had never seen "Back to the Future" so I got the trilogy," Booth said.

"Totally hot – eighties hot," Angela said as she plopped into one of the chairs, obviously intent on staying.

"That movie is illogical," Brennan said as she helped Booth clean up a bit. "Time travel is impossible."

"Maybe," the entomologist said with excitement. "But every kid in the eighties wanted to be Marty McFly. I'm in!" He practically leapt to the chair Angela sat in and situated himself in the floor in front of her.

"Still, I'm not sure that it's worthwhile to watch a movie with an obviously impossible premise," Brennan continued to fuss.

Booth put on his best puppy dog face and looked at her with the chocolate eyes no woman, especially not the hyper rational Temperance Brennan, could resist. "Please, Bones," he begged.

That did it, it was all she needed. He said please. "Fine," she said firmly, "But don't get all crappy when I explain how portions of the movie were simple special effects." She headed toward the couch after issuing that simple ultimatium.

"I won't," Booth said like an excited six year old. "And Bones?"

"What," she turned back to him.

"I think you mean crabby instead of crappy," he said with a grin and three laughs automatically filled the room.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N – Sorry, this is a short chapter but it felt like a good place to stop. I hope you guys are still enjoying the story. Thanks so much for all of the reviews and comments on the previous chapters. I'm glad you guys liked it. Please continue to let me know what you think. This story is still a little short on reviews so if you have a chance, leave some feedback.**

**As always, thanks to Junkiecat, GCatsPJs, Thnx4thegum, Mickeyboggs, and Sirenizzed for their help on this story.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 19

The quad of friends watched the movie in companionable silence. At first, Brennan argued with others about the possibility of time travel and the possibility that a person could exist in two times at the same time. Finally, however, she admitted that the movie was enjoyable and stated that she could understand how children of the 80s identified with the movie.

Toward the end, though, she became increasingly drowsy. Just as Doc was using the lightning strike on the clock tower to send Marty back to the future Booth looked over and noticed she had finally drifted off to sleep, her head rested against the back of the couch. She roused as Jenna came in to check her vitals. "Sorry," she said groggily. "I didn't intend to fall asleep."

"It's perfectly fine, Dr. B. We need to get going anyway. I'm driving Angie home," Hodgins explained and he immediately noticed Booth shoot him a knowing glance. He gave him a slight nod. He and Angela had talked a lot over the last 48 hours and both admitted that their reasons for not staying or going after each other were selfish and invalid. The pair had seen two friends in less than a year in perilous, life threatening situations and it made them both see that life was too precious to allow selfish, stubborn motives to keep them from what they knew to be the right thing. They had agreed to take it slowly. They didn't want to get so wrapped up in each other that they couldn't provide Brennan what she needed. She was what was important at the time. Nothing else mattered. When their friend was out of harm's way, they could consider an engagement.

Angela stood from her seat and gave her friend a tight yet gentle hug. "I'll be by tomorrow, Sweetie," she said. "You want me to bring you bring you any food or anything?" she asked.

Brennan sat up just a little bit straighter. "No, I think we'll be fine. I have a couple of business matters to attend to in the morning," she explained.

"Only you, the mighty Temperance Brennan would schedule business meetings while you are stuck in the hospital," Angela protested. "You need to take things easy, Bren."

The emotionality in Brennan's voice shocked everyone in the room. "I find that a precarious situation such as this one requires that I make a few additional arrangements. Statistics say. . ." Booth interrupted her. He didn't want her to go any further.

"Bones – you are not a statistic," he said firmly.

"I am aware of that, Booth, but I need to give myself the assurance that everything is in order in the event that something goes wrong. I'm resolute that I will be fine but I have other people I need to consider," she explained truthfully. She didn't doubt her ability to beat the cancer brewing in her blood stream but she needed to make sure that he would be okay if she was gone.

Booth simply nodded. He didn't like it, not one bit, but if she needed to do it, he wouldn't stop her.

"I also have to meet with my publicist," the anthropologist said with a sigh. "We need to issue some kind of statement before the tabloids issue some kind of inaccurate statement."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Dr. B," Hodgins said as everyone nodded. He stepped over and gave her a hug and within a few seconds Booth and Brennan were alone again.

* * *

Booth stood by the door for several pregnant moments after Angela and Hodgins made their exit. He was nervous and Brennan could tell. She immediately thought that he was drawing some type of negative, metaphorical energy from her. She was afraid her desire to make sure all her business was in order had given him the idea that she doubted her own recovery. It hadn't; it was simply a way for her to remove some worry so she could concentrate on getting better. She didn't need him or any of her loved ones to have to worry about what the future would hold monetarily.

"Booth," she said with a tinge of nervousness. "I know that I'm going to regain my health. Please don't think I doubt that," she said. He didn't really respond as she expected. He stayed by the door and this action caused her own fears of abandonment to get the best of her. "I understand if this is all too much for you and if you need some time and space to make sure this is what you want to do," she said as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"God, Bones, no . . . it's nothing like that," he said and practically leapt from his spot by the door and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm with you. I always have been," he said and he felt her nod against his shoulder. He couldn't be sure but he thought he felt warm, moist tears soaking his shirt. He knew she was trying to be strong and that she was confident in her own ability to defeat this disease but he could feel the fear emanating from her body. She was truly scared and to be honest, so was he. There was no simple fix that would take away all of their fears. It wasn't like the other times she had been scared. There was no vicious serial killer floating around he could track down and arrest or kill. He felt helpless and unable calm her fears.

They stayed that way for a few moments before Booth pulled back slightly. "Bones," he said. "I need to talk to you about something but I need a few minutes to myself first." He cupped her cheek and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Don't worry, Bones," he attempted to offer her some reassurance. "I just need to think for a few minutes and then I'll be back and we'll talk," he placed another kiss in her hair. "Want me to run you a bath or something?" he offered.

She nodded. She didn't really know how to respond. He told her not to worry but despite the irrationality of worry, she couldn't stop herself. The thought of him leaving her terrified her. Rationally, based on five years of evidence, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was different and wouldn't leave her but her irrational side was getting the best of her at the moment.

After making sure Bones was settled in to a relaxing, warm bath, Booth headed to the chapel. He was about to do something that could be pivotal to his relationship with his partner. He wasn't sure if it was the best decision at the moment but still he felt compelled to do it. She had said she wanted to make sure everything was taken care of in case something happened to her, but honestly, he could care less about that. He wanted to make sure that he didn't get in the way of healing. He needed to make sure she could focus on herself and not worry about him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, aged object. He clutched it tightly in his right hand and then leaned forward resting his head on the still tightly fisted hand and within seconds he was lost in prayer.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N – Sorry for the long, long wait, guys. I'm finally at a point where life is slowing down for the summer. I'm going to try and get an update for one of my in-progress stories up every week. Hopefully, I'll be able to get more than that up but I have to start somewhere.**

**I hope you guys are still hanging in there with this story. I know it's a sensitive topic but hopefully I can continue to handle things well. Thanks so much for all of the reviews you've left. I appreciate all of your feedback. Please continue to let me know what you think about the story. This chapter is a little shorter than my norm but I think you will be happy with the content. I opted to leave some of the heavier stuff for the next chapter.**

**Thanks so much to MickeyBoggs, as always, for proofing this for me. Also, thanks to Thnx4theGum, GCatsPJs, Sirenizzed, Anteaternurse, and Junkiecat for helping me come up with at decent storyline.**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy.**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Bones._

Chapter 20

It was only about 45 minutes later when Booth got back into the hospital room. He found his girlfriend seated on the couch. She was completely silent, clearly nervous. He hated himself for making her needlessly nervous. She didn't need anything else to worry about but he had to have a few minutes to gather his thoughts. What he was about to do was big, very big.

"Hey," he said as he walked through the door.

"You're back," she said. Booth was shocked that it came out as more of a question than a statement. He could see her insecurities bubbling to the surface. She was scared he would leave her.

Booth went over to where she was seated and pulled her up, immediately wrapping her into a hug. "Of course I'm back, Bones," he said as he planted a few kisses on her hairline.

She nodded in a not-so-convincing manner. "I think I'm just going to go to bed," she said after a few seconds.

"You okay?" he asked. He was still going to talk to her but wanted to make sure she was alright.

"Just tired and a little bit overwhelmed," she said.

Booth released her but kept his hands on her shoulders and his eyes squared on hers. "Think we can talk for a few minutes?"

She nodded but the scientist in her wanted to run and hide. These conversations never went well. She couldn't help it, a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Bones," he said firmly his heart breaking for her and her insecurities. He would like to personally track down anyone who had ever hurt her before and shoot them. "I'm not leaving, baby. I'm with you all the way and never doubt that for a second. I just want to talk to you before everything gets. . . hell, I don't know how things are going to be but I know that I want to have this conversation now." He used his thumb to wipe the tear from her cheek. "Here, sit down."

Brennan complied almost instinctively and let him guide her to sitting. He positioned himself in front of her.

"Bones, I know you and I know you are going to want to chime in but please, let me have this one. Let me finish before you start letting that smart brain of yours get involved. Use your heart on this one," he said with a pair of brown, pleading eyes. When he only discerned fear from her eyes, he went on. "Can you do that for me? Just trust me?"

She gave a singular nod and couldn't stop the next tear that fell down her cheek. She was utterly terrified. She trusted him, sure, but she didn't trust herself to react the way he deserved. She didn't want to disappoint him if she couldn't be the person he wanted her to be or if she couldn't beat this damned cancer that was coursing through her veins.

"Thank you," he said and swiped the tear from her cheek. "First of all, I want you to know that you will ALWAYS be what I want. I know you and I know you are afraid that I'll get tired of your sciency side or that I'll abandon you when you are sick but I will never to that. I'm 160 percent yours and I love that you would tell me that 100 percent is as high as I could go. I love every bit of you," he said and leaned down to kiss her forehead. He let his lips linger and said, "You know that, right?"

When Brennan nodded slightly, he withdrew to continue. "Pops, he ummmm, he had to go off to Korea only a couple of months after he and my grandmother started dating. He didn't want to go but he knew that he had to serve his country. He was, is, a man of integrity and he knew he had to but he loved Gram more than anything on this planet and it terrified him that he might not be able to come back to her. He told me that he knew he loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her," he rambled slightly but his words all had meaning. "I never understood the concept of loving someone, truly loving someone, from the moment you saw them until I saw you in that lecture hall. It was your eyes, Bones. There's just something in them that…damn, I don't know, mesmerized me like those black swirly eye things on cartoons or that hypnotists use."

"Hypnotic swirls," she said with a slight sniffle. "When I was in Bangladesh.."

Booth laughed, "See, Bones, that's one of the things I love about you. You can be scared out of your wits and still have the presence of self to give me an anthropology lesson."

She just smiled, a simple indication he could continue.

"Anyway, Pops, he was afraid to ask Gram to marry him. It wasn't that he was afraid that he wouldn't come back. He knew he would be back but he didn't want to jinx them. He wanted their engagement to be a happy one and not a fearful one," he explained. "I never understood it until now. Now," his tone changed to indicate a bit of sadness. "Now, I get it."

"Instead of asking her to marry him, he made her a promise," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. He gripped it tightly in his fist and held his hand, fingers up, in front of her.

Without even a though, Brennan found herself opening Booth's fist to reveal the object. When all of his digits were extended she looked at the object. It was truly beautiful and looked as if it was made just for her. A simple, white gold ring with a reasonably sized, marquis cut, blue sapphire stone shone brightly in his palm. There were two small diamond baguettes on either side of the main stone.

When her eyes met Booth's questioningly he went on. "He gave her this ring and made her a promise that when he got back, he'd ask her to marry him. It was his promise that they would get through whatever life threw their way."

He gave Brennan a smile and though he saw them, he didn't take the time to wipe the tears from her porcelain face. "Gram, she obviously took the ring and she waited for him. He came home two years later and gave her an engagement ring. They were married within six months and I've never seen two people be so happy for the fifty-two years they were married."

She smiled at the thought and knew where his concept of relationships had been formed. He'd seen true love. She hadn't really considered it until this point, but she had seen true love too. Her parents, while criminals, loved each other the way Booth's grandparents must have loved each other. She got it.

"This ring, it meant something to Gram. I spent a lot of time with them and I saw her without her engagement ring and wedding band but I never saw her without this ring. Right before she died, she told me that I was like my grandfather and wanted me to make sure that they didn't bury her with it. She wanted me to, in her words, 'find some beautiful woman and treat her the way Hank treated me'," he said and then took a deep breath.

"I think this damned cancer is like going off to war. What I want you to do is take this ring and promise me that when it's over, you'll spend the rest of your life with me. I know you don't really want to get married and that's okay. I just need you," he said.

Something happened inside Brennan and it shocked her. She wasn't scared and she didn't have an anthropological argument to give. She looked to Booth's eyes and saw only love. She looked at the ring and saw a symbol of lasting relationships and commitment. Almost as if it was a reflex controlled by the spinal cord and not the brain, she reached out, took the ring and slid it onto her finger. The tears were still falling and she didn't care.

The smile that grew on Seeley Booth's face was huge. She was committing that she would weather this storm and any others that came their way with him. He wrapped her in a warm embrace for a few seconds and then they shared a very passionate kiss.

After they withdrew from the kiss, he stood and offered his hands to help her up. "Let's get you into bed," he said. "We've got to go off to battle soon."

"That's very poetic for a burly FBI Agent," she said as they walked hand in hand toward the bedroom.

"Why thank you, Dr. Brennan," he teased back.

**Don't forget to let me know what you think. Thanks so much for reading. Hope to get more up for you soon.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N – Sorry for the wait guys. I don't have a whole lot of excuses. except that I am trying to do my best to get these stories rolling again. My brain is just not cooperating with my desire to write.**

**Thank you so much for all of your reviews, messages, and feedback. I appreciate the fact that people are still reading and enjoying. It's a sensitive topic, I know, so I'm thankful for any and all feedback I get.**

**I appreciate Valiumsofa, GCatsPJs, and Junkiecat, for their help on getting this done. Also, thanks to MickeyBoggs for her proofing help. **

**Please continue to let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 21

Temperance Brennan sat awake in her hospital bed at 6 am. She'd been awake for only about 20 minutes but her mind was already busy. Thoughts bounced through her mind like a ball in a pinball machine, aimlessly bouncing without an exit. The only way out was to fail and that's exactly what her thoughts were doing, never completely processing. The thoughts were basically transient, not one of them lasting long enough to really make an impact on her. She thought of Booth and Parker and pain and even her father.

She couldn't really recall a time in her life when she had allowed herself to be filled with worry much less a time when that worry focused around another person. She though back to when Booth had 'died' and remembered the empty feeling in her chest. It had lasted the entirety of the two weeks. She wished, in this case, that she could just jump out of bed, let him punch her (which he'd never do), and then he could barge into her bathroom and everything would be all better.

She looked over to Booth, sleeping on the small pull out. He'd held her until the 2 am vitals check. At that point, a very abrasive Jenna had made him move out of his partner's bed. "These bed aren't really meant to be doubles and I've been really tolerant so far but both of you have to get some rest," she'd fussed.

Now, at least one of them was resting decently. Today was going to be a fairly stressful day. She had to deal with telling her father about her _condition_ and she and Booth had to discuss what to tell Parker. Also, she had meetings with her accountant, her attorney, and her publicist. She needed to make sure everything was in order in case things became more serious than they already were. She needed to update her advanced directives, will, and complete the purchase of their house. She sighed and let her head fall back to the mattress. '_What if I never get to live there,'_ she thought to herself. '_Snap out of it, Temperance,'_she was entirely frustrated with herself. Just six hours earlier she had been reassuring Booth she would get better and now she was having herself a pity party. She certainly would never have thought she would be in the middle of an emotional battle with her own irrational thoughts on top of a battle with her own damned bones to make the right kind of cells.

She wiped a tear from her cheek and sighed.

"You have a nurse's call button for a reason, darlin'," Jenna said quietly as she entered the room. "Wake up feeling puny?"

Brennan was taken aback by the assumption. "No, I'm fine," she said as she straightened slightly. "I was just thinking."

The Southern nurse nodded in understanding. "Well, it's best not to let your thoughts get the better of you," she explained. "Taking things one day at a time and even sometimes an hour at a time is the best way to deal with things."

The anthropologist simply nodded.

"Your bodyguard didn't try to climb back into bed with you," Jenna asked.

A smile etched its way on to Brennan face. "No, I don't think so," she wasn't exactly sure of the direction of the line of questioning. There had to be more to it than simply getting some rest.

Jenna nodded before pulling out her stethoscope to listen to her patient's lungs. "They sound clear," she said after Brennan gave her a few short breaths. "Hold still," she said as she poked a thermometer into Brennan's ear.

Only a few seconds later, it beeped and Brennan looked up at her with curious eyes. "99.2," the nurse answered without prompting. "Might as well be normal. How's your back and legs?"

Brennan had to take a second to do an inventory. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't really considered how she felt physically. She sat up and stretched her legs out some. "Stiff but manageable. I'm sure it's from this hospital grade mattress," she said.

"Hate to tell you, darlin', but that's the ATRA talking," she said a bit harshly. "That's why I kicked him out of your bed last night. We gotta watch out for that over the next few days."

"Indicative of something more serious?" Brennan asked clinically.

Jenna simply nodded which was all Brennan needed. '_Great, something else to feel sorry for myself about,'_she mused internally.

"You'll be fine. You got me and Liz and Dr. Brooks taking care of you," she smiled a little bit to reassure her patient.

Brennan didn't respond. Some things were too uncertain to even deserve a nod.

The nurse noticed the uncertainty and fear in Brennan's face. '_She might have a tough exterior but she's a very sensitive person,'_Jenna thought of her patient. "You want something to get back to sleep for a little while?" she asked.

Jenna was answered by a definitive shake of Brennan's head. "No," Brennan answered even though the thought of sleeping a little longer was quite appealing. "I really need to get ready for the day."

"You are in the hospital. The extent of getting ready for most patients is changing flannel pajama bottoms every couple of days. We aren't running a fashion show here," the nurse fussed.

Brennan's answer was simple and confident, the first confident thing she had said all day. "I'm not most patients."

The nurse laughed a good Texan laugh. "I'm thankful for that, Darlin'. Now, let me disconnect you and you can go primp. Liz will be in soon and she'll get your morning meds."

"Thanks, Jenna."

* * *

The morning had been a long one and it was only noon. Normally, the day would still be young but today, to Booth, the day would be better if it would just go ahead and end.

Booth knew that Brennan would accuse him of being overly poetic or not rational if he said it aloud but to Booth the setting of the sun signified newness. Each day was a restart of sorts, a chance to try things again. That restart, however, was still hours away and there was still much to be done. Even when it was over, there was no guarantee that the next day would be better. The possibility that each day would be worse than the next was terrifying.

After a brief bickering match over Brennan's letting him sleep until she was completely dressed and ready, the day had been filled with one meeting after another. He was pretty much an on-looker in the first two meetings.

Brennan's attorney had been the first to visit. He wasn't sure of all the details of that meeting since, apparently, she had emailed the attorney all of the details she wanted handled. It was mostly just a bunch of forms for her to sign. She had arranged for the attorney to handle the purchase of the house for them. They wouldn't even have to be present for walk throughs or closings or anything. After closing, they would be able to move in whenever they were ready. The meeting with the accountant had been about the same. Papers were signed and instructions were given about the purchase of the house.

It was hard for Booth to not get lost in his own brain. Thoughts and fears swirled around constantly. He wanted to move into that house with her completely healthy and fuss with her over the size of the television to be installed. He wanted to be able to argue with her over the bills and who was paying for what but for now, that didn't matter.

As much as he disliked people of privilege and sometimes anyone who could simply be classified as wealthy, he wished now that wealth could help them out. Here was his partner, his life-mate, who had more power and money than she would ever know what to do with and it didn't matter. That could do nothing for her right now. He wanted her to say her whole "I'm the best in the world" speech and then he'd take her to the diner for a milkshake to calm her down and it would all be over. Not this time he thought as he let out a rather loud sigh, loud enough to get his partner's attention from her spot just across the small room.

"Just one more meeting," Brennan said. She normally would have gotten up to go sit by him but didn't think it practical since she had just been hooked back up to the IV so they could give her another infusion of antibiotics and also a unit of platelets. It had been disheartening to hear when Liz had told her that her counts were once again lower than Dr. Brooks wanted. Thankfully, this time she only required a unit of platelets and everyone was hopeful that the ATRA would get those numbers up in a couple of more days.

He moved beside her when she spoke. "I know but this is going to be the worst one. I don't like your publicist." He planted a kiss on her forehead before leaning back and putting his arm around her.

"She's one of the best and most of the other publicists are male anyway and I always figured it'd be better if I went with a female," she said simply.

That remark confused him slightly so he shot her a "go on" look.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I just always figured you would be jealous since I spend a lot of time with my publicist."

"I am not a jealous person!" he countered.

She cut her eyes as if she was glaring at one of her interns who had just incorrectly named a bone.

He gave her a bit of a squeeze. "What you call jealous, I call protective."

* * *

An hour later, Booth walked back into the room. He had left to go call Rebecca as soon as the publicist walked through the door. He needed to talk to Parker and was hoping that his ex would be understanding of the whole situation.

He didn't say anything as he walked through the door. He could tell immediately, though, that things were not going well. He decided to stand, arms crossed, by the door. His presence was clearly in the room even though he wasn't actually a participant in the goings on. His stance, however, made it abundantly clear he would intervene if needed.

"Temperance, I don't understand why you aren't willing to do this," her publicist argued about something.

Brennan sighed, clearly exasperated. Booth knew immediately that this wasn't the first time Bones had said no to whatever it was the woman wanted. "Sonya, I really don't think that would be a very good course of action," Brennan said. "I feel as though a simple press release regarding my condition will suffice. My diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan should have no effect on my sales. People read my book for the forensics," she cut her eyes to Booth. "And. . . As I have recently realized, people are drawn to the relationship between Reichs and Lister."

"Are you kidding me, Temperance," Sonya said with a raised voice causing Booth to take two strides forward. "If we play our cards right, your sales will skyrocket. I already talked to several morning shows and they are willing to be here. . ."

That was it; Booth had clearly heard all he wanted to hear. "Get the hell out of this hospital room now!" he growled.

"Booth," Brennan said. "It's," she tried to go on.

"No, Bones, it's not fine. She clearly thinks you give a damn about book sales or turning a profit when all we care about is getting you out of this damned hospital in one piece," he yelled. "I don't want her anywhere near you ever again."

"Temperance is in a binding contract," Sonya said as she started to leave.

Booth took another step toward the obviously brave publicist. "That book doesn't get released; you don't get a penny anyway. Besides, I don't think you want to go up against the entire Federal Bureau of Investigation," he said. "I'm sure if I get someone to dig a little; we can find a few issues in your personal history that any other celebrities who might be dumb enough to hire you as a publicist wouldn't want to hear about even if some of them aren't severe enough to land you in jail for a few years."

Sonya simply nodded, stood, and headed toward the door. She got the message.

"We'll have the new publicist get in touch with you regarding the void of your current contract," Brennan said dryly.

After several seconds of complete silence, Booth sat down beside his partner. They both let their heads rest on the back of the couch and sat silently.

Finally, Brennan spoke up. "I'm sorry," she said without moving her head. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

He pulled her in to him. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Bones, absolutely nothing," he said as he planted a kiss on her temple. "You okay?"

She didn't answer. "Did you talk to Rebecca or my father?"

He let go of her enough so he can look at her a little more closely. Her brow was scrunched like it always was when she was either upset or sick but he decided to let it slide for a minute. "Your dad is on his way back here from some place. He won't be here until Monday. I didn't tell him anything yet. He probably just thinks I've got him as a suspect for something. He didn't ask many questions. I just told him you were sick and to call my cell when he got into town. No details," he explained.

She nodded simply, thankful for a couple of days before she had to face him. "Parker?" she inquired.

"Becca said I can come by and get him after dinner if you are doing alright and are okay with it," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Angela and Hodgins are coming back by to sit with you for a little while."

"I don't require babysitting services," she countered.

"I know, Bones, but you have to think about their side of this. Angela is terrified for her best friend. She needs to be near you," he said before she interrupted.

"In case she loses me?" Brennan asked.

"Don't talk like that but yes," he said softly as if he didn't want to admit that it was true. "I'm not sure how to tell Parker. He's still young and he. . . he had this friend from school die from cancer last year," Booth said. "I'm afraid he's going to think that anyone who gets cancer dies."

"Just tell him the truth, Booth," she said. "He's bright and even though he isn't permitted to see me, he can call or video chat if he needs to do so."

"Thanks, Bones," he replied as he gave her a squeeze of pride. "Now, you never answered my question. Are you okay?"

It took a lot to admit it but she did and gave him a simple shake of the head. Dizziness and nausea had been plaguing her since her last infusion of antibiotics. It wasn't severe, she supposed, in the grand scheme of cancer treatment regimens but if she were at work and felt this poorly she would deem it enough discomfort to go home for the day.

He reached over and massaged her neck a little bit. "Want me to get something for you or call a nurse?"

She shook her head again. "No, I think I'd just like to get into some comfortable clothes and try to take a nap," she answered.

He stood and waited for her cues as to how much help she would permit. His heart sank when she didn't rise. She just gave him a look of sadness.

"Dizzy?" he asked and frowned when he was met with another nod.

He gave her his hand and helped her get changed and into the recliner with her feet up. She was situated and in a few minutes, after refusing anything to eat or drink because of nausea, she was asleep. He pulled a chair up beside her and flipped the TV on but muted it. He'd rather watch over her than listen to a ballgame anyway.

**To be continued. . .**


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